A strike could be called as of next Tuesday affecting 190,000 workers in Quebec’s construction industry.

Unionized workers who form part of the Alliance syndicale voted 93 per cent in favour of an unlimited strike mandate, the group said on Wednesday. But the alliance, which includes five construction industry unions, is still negotiating with the four employer associations to try to avoid taking that step, it said.

“Our mandate is clear. It was given by the workers, and we will follow it,” said Éric Boisjoly, spokesperson for the alliance. “The only thing we’ll give to the employer is a notice of 12 to 24 hours.”

The alliance is negotiating four collective agreements for 2021-’25 for each sector of the industry. Salaries are not an issue. Instead, talks centre around mobile apps on workers’ personal smartphones that would allow them to log work hours and overtime. The unions are worried about privacy, as the apps use location tracking, and are looking for ways to regulate the use of such apps.

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