Unions call on Quebec to shut down construction sites to protect workers from COVID-19

Two of Quebec's major federations of construction unions have called on the governmentto shut down every construction site in Quebec, citing concerns about the spread ofCOVID-19.

FTQ-Construction and the Conseil provincial du Qubec des mtiers de la construction, representing more than two-thirds of all construction workers in the province, have written to Premier Franois Legault asking him to "intervene immediately" to protect the workforce.

They say many sites lack soap and water for handwashing and toilets with running water, and their members often work in close quarters, moving frequently between sites and sharing their tools.

"It is currently impossible to meet basic health standards on the vast majority of construction sites in Quebec," ric Boisjoly, the executive directorof FTQ-Construction, said in a statement. "In this context, it is irresponsible to continue the work."

"Our workers are not guinea pigs and cannot continue to work without any protection."

'What about the rest of us?'

One subcontractor, whoCBC is agreeing not to nameto protect his livelihood, said he isfrustrated with the fact that majorconstruction companiesare choosing to push forward with their projects despite the pandemic.

He said it makes no sense to him that all sites weren't shut down at the same time that schools were ordered closed.

"We've got half the population sitting at home, and we've got another big group of [people]that are going aroundworking, touching everything," hesaid.

"I feel the sense of responsibility as a boss, as an owner... to behave as a human being and not just think about, you know, making money," hesaid.

The subcontractoris currently working for Broccolini, and he said he's feeling "pressured" to send in his team to the work. If he doesn't, he said,it's his understanding that Broccolini will find a subcontractor willing to do so.

He also feels the contractor isn't doing enough tomake sure the site itself is safe, leavingit up to subcontractors instead.

A Broccolini directive sent to a subcontractor, obtained by CBC, says the company needs "to know your plan of action" forkeeping subcontracted employees safe on Broccolini sites.

Broccolini has not yet responded to a request for comment from CBC.

Workers leaveREM construction site

On some Quebec construction sites,workers are already taking matters into their own hands.

More than 100 people working on the construction of Montreal's light-rail network(REM) have exercised their right to refuse work this week, saying they don't feel properly protected against the virus.

In an email to Radio-Canada, Vronique Richard, thespokesperson for NOUVLR, the consortium building the REM, said it is taking safety measures, including raisingworkers' awareness of good hygiene and cleaning toiletson the sites more often.

"We ask for the co-operation of all workers in order to continue to work safely, to respect good practices on our sitesand to act collectively to prevent the spread of the disease," Richard said.

Legault initially said that work on construction sites should continue, since workers were not together in confined spaces on a large scale.However, he said that could change in the coming days.