(Montreal) After an eight-month strike at the Société québécoise du cannabis, negotiations have stalled and the two parties are waiting to be called by the conciliator.
The local section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, called a general and indefinite strike on May 28, after holding a strike for several days.
In an interview on Friday, the president of the union, David Clément, indicated that he had not received any new offer since the one that his members had rejected in a proportion of 94%, on December 11.
The parties had nevertheless met on December 23 to discuss the causes of this rejection.
“Since and as of today, we have had no new offer and no negotiation meeting with the employer,” reported Mr. Clément.
The management of the SQDC confirms this. “For the moment, we have not been summoned by the conciliator appointed by the Ministry of Labour. However, we are always open to pursuing discussions with CUPE representatives in order to reach a negotiated agreement to the satisfaction of the parties concerned. »
The Société québécoise du cannabis now has 93 branches, about half of which have a union. The strike affects 24 of the 26 branches whose workers are unionized in CUPE.
Wages in dispute
Salary is the main point in dispute; the normative clauses have been settled.
CUPE is asking for at least $20 an hour for its members. He argues that the SQDC is a Crown corporation, like the Société des alcools, and not a retail business like any other.
The SQDC, for its part, points out that it has succeeded in renewing the collective agreement with the other union organization which is present in a smaller number of its branches, namely the Federation of Public Service Employees, affiliated with the CSN.
“Moreover, all of the Society’s counsellors, with the exception of those who work in branches represented by CUPE, benefit from an hourly rate of $19.01/h on entry, and this , since July 3, 2022”, indicates the management.
The starting wage provided for in the CUPE collective agreement is $17.12 per hour.
“It is certain that from the beginning, what we want is a comparable to other state corporations. Then if we’re going to look at different collective agreements this year, well there’s no pay below $20 an hour. So it is certain that it is the big symbolic minimum, ”launched Mr. Clément.
However, CUPE members rejected the offer accepted by the union members of the CSN federation, hence the difference in salary.