Lawyers at Quebec Ombudsman's Office on strike demanding equal pay

The lawyers working at the Ombudsman's Office began their indefinite strike on Tuesday morning. There are only six of them—all women—working for the Ombudsman in the Montreal and Quebec City offices. They are members of Les Avocats et notaires de l'État québécois (LANEQ) a large union independent of the major labour federations. Their main demand concerns pay parity with public service attorneys. The union maintains that it is the Quebec government that is preventing the Ombudsman's Office from offering this pay parity to its female attorneys. 'The situation is troubling. The Ombudsman's Office is tasked with protecting the rights of citizens in the face of actions by the Quebec government. To fulfill this role effectively, it must be independent from the government. Yet the government controls the Ombudsman's negotiations with its lawyers. Worse still, it is forcing the Ombudsman to negotiate with its lawyers for pay that is lower than what the government itself grants to public service lawyers and notaries,' said Alexis Milette, president of LANEQ. For its part, the employer maintains that it is independent of the government. 'The Ombudsman wishes to reiterate that it carries out its duties completely independently of the government with regard to its mission, investigations, and interventions. Administratively, however—particularly with regard to the management of public funds and working conditions—the organization remains subject to certain guidelines applicable to public agencies,' he stated. Amid this indefinite strike by female lawyers, the Ombudsman says he is 'committed to maintaining services for the public.' He says he hopes to 'minimize the impact on citizens.' The Ombudsman handles complaints regarding the health and social services system, as well as those targeting Quebec government ministries and agencies, for example. Negotiations are still ongoing. –This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews