CSN member legal aid lawyers launched a half -day strike Tuesday morning in five Quebec regions.
These lawyers picket outside legal aid offices in their area and then gather at local courthouses to show up at lunch time.
They have had no employment contract since Dec. 31, 2019 and are protesting against the Treasury Board’s refusal to maintain equality with Quebec Crown prosecutors.
The final collective agreement recognized the principle of equality with Crown prosecutors and members of legal aid find it difficult to explain this volte-face on the part of the employer.
Salary conditions for Crown prosecutors were recommended by an independent committee and they got 10% increases over four years. For its part, Quebec submitted to legal aid lawyers the same increases as those offered in public service, in this case 6% over three years, or 20% less than their peers.
The president of the Montreal and Laval legal aid lawyers ’union, Me Justine Lambert-Boulianne, argues that her members are the first to deal with cases that the government considers priorities, such as juvenile, conjugal or sexual violence or defense against adjustments.
Jolin-Barette and LeBel were arrested
Me Lambert-Boulianne believes the time has come for the Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, to intervene, because Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel seems unwilling.
He recalled that legal aid lawyers were pleading the same cases, before the same courts and the same judges, as Crown prosecutors.
The union points out that ministers Sonia LeBel and Simon Jolin-Barrette, both lawyers, have come out in favor of pay equality between legal aid lawyers and Crown prosecutors in the past.
union members CSN unanimously voted in favor of the three -day strike order and therefore further layoffs could not be thrown in the coming weeks.
Because they are not subject to the Essential Services Act, files that will resume Tuesday morning have been suspended and postponed, for the most part, into the afternoon.
Source: Radio-Canada
