Organized crime has infiltrated every level of the construction industry in Quebec, according to the head of the construction wing of the Quebec Federation of Labour.

Yves Mercure said Tuesday that only a public inquiry can solve the problem, and he will not be running for re-election when his term ends next fall.

In an exclusive interview with Radio-Canada, Mercure was unequivocal about crime.

"It exists at all levels," he said in French.

Mercure said organized crime has infiltrated most major construction companies and all construction unions, including his own.

He said union members are routinely ordered by their employers to accept payments in cash in order to launder the proceeds of organized crime.

Mercure also said construction unions have become too close to construction companies.

He said union leaders should not be tagging along on the yachts of entrepreneurs, or visiting their private boxes for hockey games at the Bell Centre. He said union leaders should represent their members, and not the businesses they work for.

He hopes the industry can be cleaned up, he said, but that will be up to future union leaders, and the government of Premier Jean Charest.

He said it's clear that Quebec's police task force on organized crime and corruption will not be enough to solve the problem, and that only a public inquiry can clear the air.

The special police squad investigating allegations of corruption in the construction industry is called Operation Hammer, and its investigators were called in when someone set Mercure's pickup truck on fire last June.

He made light of the incident at the time, saying that at least no one was hurt.

So far, the government of Charest has rejected calls for a public inquiry into allegations of corruption in the construction industry.