No Gatineau transit strike Friday, but pressure tactics coming

Gatineau'stransit workers will not be striking on Friday, but willinstead considerother work-to-rule options as they continue to negotiate with Socitde transport del'Outaouais, Radio-Canada has learned.

• STO not an essential service, board rules as strike looms

The decision means the Outaouais transit system won't grind to a halt Friday, but commuters should expect delays and may feel an impact getting to and fromWinterlude events.

The union, representing the 485 drivers and 115 maintenance workers, had already given the STO a 72-hour notice ofpossible work action on Friday.

On Mondaythe union scored a victory when the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled against the STO, declaring that transit is not an essential service.

Drivers to wear jeans, refuse OT

But instead of an all-out labour stoppage, STO drivers plan to take a number of protest actions, including wearing jeans, refusing to work overtime, and refusing to work for any special event, such as Winterlude.

Drivers also plan to report any type of defect on buses, even minor ones, which could lead to more buses ending up in the garage. Mechanics, for their part, will no longer work overtime as of Friday.

The job actions could begin as early as 4 a.m. Friday.

No date has been set for an actual walkout.

According to the union, deteriorating working conditions and scheduling are the key issues in contractnegotiations.

An STO spokesperson said earlier this week the STO hopes a meeting with amediator on Friday will yield positive results.