Thousands of public workers took to downtown Montreal Saturday afternoon to protest lagging contract talks. (JOEL LEMAY/QMI Agency)

MONTREAL - Tens of thousands of public sector workers from all over Quebec took to the streets of Montreal early Saturday afternoon in protest over lagging contract talks, and to send a message to the government that the deadline for signing new agreements, before the current ones expire on March 31, is fast approaching.

The first wave of protesters arrived at around 11:00 a.m. aboard 350 buses filled to capacity, coming from all parts of Quebec.

Leaving Place du Canada, in the heart of downtown Montreal, at 1:30 p.m., the angry union members set off towards Premier Jean Charest's office. From one end to the other the crowd, which included thousands of children and young people, stretched for several kilometres.

The initial route of the march was slightly changed as a result of a bomb alert at the CIBC building, at the corner of boulevard René-Lévesque and Peel Street.

Organizers report that up to 75,000 demonstrators showed up, exceeding the objective of 50,000.

"This is a historic gathering that shows our thirst for putting public services back on track and to seek respect," said Claudette Carbonneau, leader of the Confederation des Syndicats Nationaux (CSN).

Prior to the start of the march at a press conference Carbonneau declared that her members are "fed up with living on love and cold water and they are at the end of their rope."

At the rally, the CSN, the Federation des travailleurs du Quebec (FTQ) and the Secretariat intersyndical des services publics (SISP) united in a single voice to ask the Liberal government for improvements, notably of their salaries, pension plans, and parental rights.

The common front of unions negotiating for public sector employees is asking for a pay hike of 3.75% per year, for three years, with the government countering wih 7% over five years.

The marchers waved signs and flags that included their union colours, with green and red dominating the scene.

Friday, on the eve of the massive demonstration, Quebec Treasury Board President Monique Gagnon-Tremblay invited the unions to immediately join the government in a negotiating blitz. Gagnon-Tremblay maintained that a settlement is still possible before the March 31 deadline, if both sides exercise "goodwill."