Construction Industry Strike: Langlois Lawyers Can Help

Published by our Labour and Employment Law team.

As you know, an unlimited general strike began in the construction industry on May 24^th, giving rise to a considerable amount of inconvenience, concern and questions on the part of general contractors and project owners.

With respect to construction sites affected by the strike, it is important to remember that work not covered by the Act respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry (Statute R-20) is unaffected by the strike and can thus continue. For example, residential renovation work or maintenance and repair work in the industrial sector will not be interrupted. Moreover, Statute R-20 contains no sanction against using employees who agree to work during the strike – which is one of the union grievances the strike is aimed at redressing, by the proposed adoption of provisions prohibiting the use of strike-breakers.

The strike is of course causing delays in the timetables for completion of work, which can be expected to result in many disputes between project owners and general contractors. In this regard, we invite you to read a relevant article by our colleague Jean Patrick Dallaire by clicking on this link (in French).

Langlois Lawyers has a comprehensive construction-law team that is available to assist you in the event of problems with your striking employees or co-contractors, or with any other matter negatively impacted by the current strike.

Don’t hesitate to call on us if the need arises, or if you have any questions.