MONTREAL, December 7, 2018 —The 93 customer service, administrative support and safety officers at Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport have been told that Aéroports de Montréal management plans to contract out their work. They have until December 28 to agree to cut their working conditions by 27 to 33%, or face lay-offs. The situation is intolerable and inhumane, says the Unité des cols blancs d’Aéroports de Montréal, a local affiliate of the Public Service Alliance of Canada that represents Aéroports de Montréal’s white-collar workers.
“It’s mind-boggling,” said Josée Dubois, President of the local. “The holidays are well underway and ADM is trying to get us to cut our own throats to save money! Even when the airport is booming and passenger numbers are through the ceiling. Far from allowing its employees to share in this growth, it sure looks like ADM’s trying to hand us the bill for its expansion projects.”
“No-one can have their working conditions cut by 27 to 33% overnight. What Aéroports de Montréal is demanding of its 93 employees and their families is more than just intolerable: making its demand at this time is utterly despicable,” said Yvon Barrière, Regional Executive Vice-President of PSAC-Quebec. “Employees have to give an answer by December 28—quite the Christmas present!”
Aéroports de Montréal is using a contracting-out provision in its employees’ collective agreement to force them to accept the unacceptable. The union has asked the Board of Directors to put a stop to this attempt. A meeting with Philippe Rainville, ADM’s President and CEO, is scheduled for Friday morning at his office.
“The Aéroports de Montréal administration prides itself on being a top-rated employer. This action a few weeks before Christmas would suggest otherwise. The exceptional service provided by our members is worth its weight in gold and no subcontractor can match it. We’re hoping our arguments will win over Mr. Rainville.”
About PSAC-Quebec
PSAC represents more than 180,000 members across Canada. An FTQ affiliate, PSAC-Quebec has more than 40,000 members in the federal public sector, universities and the private sector.