Customers who set foot in a branch of the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) must, since Tuesday, present their vaccination passport. While the union representing the employees insists that the measures put in place by the state corporation are insufficient to ensure the safety of its members, the 150 officers who were to be deployed to the four corners of the province to lend a hand in cases of overflow are finally less numerous than expected. Instead, there are 135.
Posted at 4:14 p.m.
Customers, for their part, seemed to accept this measure rather well, noted The Press by going to a branch of the SAQ in La Petite-Patrie. “I agree with everything we can do to encourage people to get vaccinated,” said Robert Constantin before rushing inside. “I don’t mind showing my passport. I did it to go to bars and restaurants, ”said Renaud Lapointe a few minutes later.
The place was not very busy at lunchtime on Tuesday. So no customer had to queue when the weather was freezing. Inside, a security guard was stationed near the door while a smiling employee scanned the passports. If she had no unfortunate incident to report, she dreaded Friday, when customers stormed the branch at the end of their working day.
The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) is also subject to this new rule.
Fewer agents than expected
“Risk management, let’s say we like it a little less, the rest of us prefer prevention,” said Lisa Courtemanche, president of the SAQ store and office employees’ union (SEMB- SAQ-CSN). In March 2020, with the queues, we had several security guards everywhere. There, with this new rule, we would have liked to have the same coverage. »
The SAQ had announced the deployment of 150 security guards, most of whom come from the GardaWorld agency. A number deemed insufficient by the union, since the state-owned company has 409 branches. However, at the start of the day on Tuesday, the available agents were fewer than expected. “We learned that there are contracts that have not been honored or [qu’on manque de gens] to go and do security,” says M.me Courtemanche, which represents 5,500 workers.
“There are indeed a few security guards who could not be present for various reasons,” confirms Yann Langlais-Plante, spokesperson for the SAQ. They were finally 135. Availability of agents in some regions, communication problem and snowstorm blocking a road (Roberval) are all reasons given by the SAQ to explain the situation.
“However, we were able to deploy employees to several branches to support their colleagues quickly. [Notre objectif est d’avoir] more than 150 security officers in our network as soon as possible. It’s a first day of application, we will adjust the shooting if necessary. »
At the time of this writing, it was impossible to know the number of branches benefiting from the services of an agent. “We are not short of agents. We intend to fill all the positions that the SAQ needs following the imposition of vaccine passport control,” replied Louis-Antoine Paquin, director of communications at GardaWorld, by email.
“Since the opening [mardi] morning, traffic is normal, adds Mr. Langlais-Plante. Traffic to enter our branches is fluid. The vast majority of customers are courteous and accept the application of the measure. The habit of preparing the vaccine passport and an identity document beforehand will certainly develop with use. »
The 429 SAQ branches, located in grocery stores or convenience stores, are not required to comply with this rule.