Quebec proposes minimum employment standards for traffic control industry

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The decree sets a minimum wage of $18.99 an hour, with paid leave and a group RRSP.

The Canadian Press

Lia Levesque

Publishing date:

Mar 31, 2022 • 11 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation

The current regulation on working conditions for traffic controllers
The current regulation on working conditions for traffic controllers “is not adapted to the reality and specific needs of the traffic control industry,” says a notice of a new collective agreement decree. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette files

In a rare move in the labor world, Quebec is proposing a new collective agreement decree — specifically for personnel in traffic control, a particularly dangerous job.

Labor Minister Jean Boulet published the draft regulation in the official gazette on Wednesday, opening a 45-day consultation period. The regulation would affect all workers in the industry, regardless of whether they are unionized, and would level the competitive playing field, since each employer would have minimum standards.

Once enacted, the regulation could “offer workers and companies a collective agreement that respects their industry,” Boulet said.

Similar decrees exist for cleaning staff in public buildings, in security companies and the automobile service industry.

The new regulation would modify one on security guards, which currently includes traffic controllers, to give the latter their own standards — something the industry has been seeking for many years, Boulet said. The notice says the current regulation “is not adapted to the reality and specific needs of the traffic control industry.”

The decree would affect 65 companies and about 2,400 workers across Quebec, Boulet said.

The decree is negotiated between a union and an employer in the industry. Those working conditions would then be imposed on all others, except police officers, government employees or those who perform traffic control exclusively “for the specific service or needs of their employer.” A committee split between employers and employees would manage it.

The decree sets a minimum wage of $18.99 an hour, with provisions for overtime, vacation, sick leave and family leave, as well as indemnities for travel and a group RRSP.

Métallos union representative Martin L’Abbée said the decree is “very good news” because it would even protect those who are not unionized.

“And we might stop, at some point, saying ‘within two weeks, another one will die.’ It’s unbelievable. For us, we’re very happy with this decree.”

The CNESST, Quebec’s workplace safety agency, says traffic controllers are often the ones injured or killed on worksites.

The Montreal Gazette contributed to this report.


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