The management of the Société des alcools (SAQ) claims to have suffered significant repercussions on its supply chain, after only two days of strike action by the union that represents warehouse and branch supply employees.
The local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, called an indefinite strike Monday morning at 5 a.m., after having held a single day of strike on November 16.
SAQ management said they were surprised by this walkout, especially since bargaining sessions with CUPE are scheduled for this week.
The walkout does not apply to the businesses of the Crown corporation, where workers are unionized with another organization.
However, management reports “significant impacts on the entire SAQ logistics chain” because of the critical nature of its warehouses.
“The branches remain open and the transactional site SAQ.com remains functional, but delivery times will be extended, ”warned the management of the Société des alcools.
Among other things, deliveries to branches are canceled, “which could temporarily reduce the supply of products available in stores.”
Likewise, drive-thru and deliveries to restaurants, bars and licensees are interrupted, as are deliveries to warehouses of grocery stores and convenience stores, also said the management of the state-owned company. . In addition, “picking up orders from local producers in Quebec will be postponed,” added the SAQ.
And the negotiation
As for the negotiation of the collective agreement with CUPE, management denies the union’s allegations of the use of replacement workers.
On Sunday, CUPE said it was forced to go on strike, seeing the employer seek the services of other warehouse workers alongside the service of its own employees, who were not on strike at the time.
By calling a strike, the union wanted to prevent this practice, since an employer cannot employ replacement workers – commonly known as “ scabs – during a strike, in accordance with the Labor Code.
“We are negotiating in good faith with him [le syndicat] for two months now and we have complied with all the provisions of the Labor Code, ”defended the management of the SAQ when contacted on Monday.
CUPE said on Sunday it expected an attractive offer from the employer on Tuesday. The “unlimited” strike launched on Monday morning could therefore be shortened.
“For now, it’s a strike without limits. But we are in talks with the employer, and on Tuesday, we will negotiate. And I heard the employer tell me that on Tuesday he would arrive with substantial offers. We’ll see, ”said in an interview Michel Gratton, CUPE union advisor on this issue.