The Union of Store and Office Employees of the Société des alcools du Québec, which represents some 5,000 workers at the SAQ, begins its two-day strike on Wednesday.
At the stroke of midnight, the union confirmed on its Facebook page that it was officially going on strike on Wednesday, since there was not enough progress at the bargaining table.
Unless there is significant progress, the strike will continue on Thursday.
These two strike days are the first to be used under the 15-day strike mandate given to union members.
Among the main points in dispute, we note the addition of permanent positions, access to insurance and access to training.
The question of salaries has not yet been addressed, reported the union, which is attached to the Federation of Public Service Employees, affiliated with the CSN.
For its part, SAQ management indicated earlier this week that a business continuity plan would be put in place in the event of a strike, in order to offer its customers limited access to its branch network.
On Wednesday, several mobilization events are to take place on the occasion of this strike, notably in Montreal, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Gatineau, Rouyn-Noranda and Sainte-Thérèse.
Union representatives are also scheduled to meet the media late this morning at the Place des Festivals de Montréal.
Visiting the National Assembly on Tuesday, during the study of the appropriations of the Ministry of Finance, SAQ component, the president and CEO of the SAQ, Jacques Farcy, said he was confident of arriving at an agreement with union members.
“The negotiations are very active, there is real progress at the table, so that gives us confidence that we will reach an agreement,” said Mr. Farcy.
Mr. Farcy, however, indicated that in the event of a labor conflict, the SAQ aimed to open as many branches as possible, but that only executives would work on the floor.