2023-09-16 04:00:00
“The government is not helping us. I don’t have the means,” laments the owner of an electrical services SME in the MRC of Marguerite-D’Youville, who can no longer bear to see Hydro-Québec coming for its experienced electricians.
• Read also : Bye bye Hydro : savings of 835 $ in 9 months thanks to solar panels for your heat pump
• Read also : Hydro-Quebec : « it’s clear that there are going to be new projects » – François Legault
• Read also : Bye bye Hydro : he has not paid a bill to Hydro-Québec in almost 20 years
“I have lost three or four people over the past two years who have gone to work at Hydro-Québec,” says Stéphane Robert, owner DR Électrique, in Varennes.
“They have nice salaries and nice benefits. Their workload is much less,” continues the boss of the SME.
What shocks him is that he has the impression that following having invested thousands of dollars to teach them the trade in the field, the state company does not hesitate to approach them and offer them juicy contracts on a silver platter.
“How can you expect a private contractor, who raises buildings, to be the cheapest to win a bid while at the same time fighting the government which gives everything to employees? “, he wonders out loud.
“We ride them [les électriciens]and then, they give them the gold mine,” he says.
Hydro defends itself
Interviewed by JournalStéphane Robert insists: he 100% understands the workers who want to improve their lot, but he regrets seeing talented employees leave.
Questioned on this subject, Hydro-Québec indicated on the contrary that it does not carry out “targeted recruitment” or “intensive campaign”.
“To meet operational needs, we hire switchgear electricians at the start of each year; it is therefore a cyclical activity,” explained its spokesperson Louis-Oliver Batty.
He also clarified that most of the time these are temporary status hires.
“Since July, we have not had any new electrician hires. The majority of hires are made in the spring. We have no recruitment challenge for this type of position, since at the start of each year, we can count on a bank of candidates,” continued Louis-Oliver Batty.
According to the Job Bank site, the median salary of a Quebec electrician is $35.50 per hour (as of November 16, 2022).
“The salary scale that we offer is $29.03 per hour to $39.30 per hour depending on the candidate’s recognized experience,” he concluded.
Do you have any information to share with us regarding this story?
Write to us at or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.
1694859412
#employees #stolen #HydroQuébec #government #helping
