(Montreal) The Quebec Cannabis Society and the Canadian Union of Public Employees will convene ahead of the convention on Friday, but a strike affecting some branches has been going on for more than four months now.
Posted at 11:43 am
Updated at 3:28 pm.
The strike by members of CUPE’s local branch affiliated to FTQ will affect 22 branches in SQDC. It was opened indefinitely on May 28 after a few days of sporadic strike.
In dispute
Remuneration remains at the center of controversy. The entry-level wage at SQDC is currently $17.12 an hour, Related CUPE President David Clement said in an interview Monday.
It compares its members’ compensation with that of their peers at Liquor Corporation, another Crown corporation. Cashier-salespersons at SAQ stores earn an entry-level salary of $21.50 an hour.
What we really want is to negotiate. Then our members made it clear: Its wages should be higher than $20 an hour [à la SQDC aussi].
David Clement, relevant CFS local president
Common problems are solved.
CUPE faces additional difficulties in negotiations with SQDC: union members of the Federation of Public Service Employees, affiliated with CSN, among other branches, have agreed to a contract that its members consider inadequate.
“Absolutely not [suffisante]. On July 17, we contacted all our union members and the members unanimously told us ‘No, we will not accept that, we will continue to fight to get a salary comparable to other companies. [d’État] “, Mr. Clement reported.
Friday’s compromise meeting was significant after more than four months of strike action.
“We’re going there with openness. We want to sit at the table, have a clear, objective discussion with our employer. And we believe that if we have an open discussion with the employer on this, we can come to an agreement. But this agreement has to include fair wages for our members,” Mr Clement said.
and management
For its part, SQDC management confirmed that the “conciliation process is still in progress” and is “available to continue discussions with CUPE representatives”.
She also affirmed that “it is very important that SQDC continues its mission.” As a result, even the branches affected by the strike remain open as managers handle various tasks.
However, the opening hours have been reduced. “Some of these branches were closed for several days in a row to allow the managers who run them to rest,” she said.
About half of the employees at SQDC branches are unionized.
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