Que. prosecutors angry over back-to-work law

Quebec's Crown prosecutors are furious that the government plans to legislate its 1,500 striking lawyers back to work Monday.

Christian Leblanc, head of the association of Crown attorneys in Quebec, said if the special law passes in the National Assembly on Monday morning,lawyerswill boycott the province's special task force to fight corruption and could possibly resign en masse.

Leblanccalled theback-to-work plan illegal, immoral and irresponsible.

Premier Jean Charest met with his cabinet Saturday, a dayafter negotiations broke down. It has been two weeks since 450 Crown prosecutors and more than 1,000 government lawyers working for the province walked off the job.

Lawyers are demanding a 40 per cent wage hike and as many as 200 new positions.

Lowest paid prosecutorsin Canada

Quebec prosecutors are the lowest paid in Canada, topping out at about $102,000 a year. Their Ontario counterparts earn as much as $196,000 annually.

The lawyers also say they are not on an even playing field with defence lawyers because a months-long backlog of cases keeps them from properly meeting with victims and preparing for cases.

Treasury Board president Michelle Courchesne says the government can't come close to meeting the prosecutors demands.

Lawyers held a news conference Sunday morning, and said they plan to fight the special law through the courts and will discuss a possible mass resignation.

They will also boycott the corruption squad recently announced by the government that is supposed to feature 200 police officers and bureaucrats, including 30 Crown prosecutors, to investigate corruption, collusion and influence-peddling.

Prosecutors had the right to strike forced upon them in 2003 by the Charest government as a way to avoid binding arbitration.