(Montreal) Metro is once again handing out gift cards to its employees, a kind of “recognition bonus” related to the epidemic – which has frustrated the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Union, which has been prioritizing real pay rises for its members.
Posted at 11:40 p.m.
Updated at 12:27 p.m.
As part of the “Frontline Employee Identity Bonus” in the wake of the Kovid-19 pandemic, Metro is offering a $ 300 gift card for full-time employees who can redeem on Metro banners.
Gift cards average $ 150 for those who work 15 hours a week or more and $ 75 for those who work less than 15 hours a week.
The food giant said Wednesday it has affected about 45,000 employees at stores and distribution centers in Quebec and Ontario.
This is the fourth bonus since the outbreak, the previous being offered in December 2020, and then in February and May 2021. It will be paid in February.
“It’s candy”
The TUAC union, which is affiliated with the FTQ, said it was disappointed with the bonuses, saying they were not improving each other and these workers in the medium or long term. He preferred a real pay rise as there were countless vacancies in supermarkets.
“For us, it’s frustrating. Gift cards are candy that will not last,” lamented UFCW union spokesman Roxanne Lauro in an interview on Wednesday.
“We, we like, sit at the negotiating table and then discuss better wages, which will help attract workers and retain labor,” he said.Me Larouche.
Metro’s president and CEO, Eric La Flay, defended the fact that he did not raise wages and preferred to issue gift cards by the fact that the company operates in a “very competitive environment”. He said the employees were happy to receive them.
Reluctant to disclose how many vacancies there are in the company citing competitive reasons.
UFCW negotiators affiliated with FTQ are scheduled to meet on Thursday. They want to demand “institutional enhancement” in collective agreements that will expire soon in 2022 or expire in 2021, Ms.Me Larouche.
Currently, an employee’s salary is increased by a “combination” of aggregates and salary increments. “We do not want lump sum anymore, only the salary will increase,” M warnedMe Larouche.
