Croupiers at the Casino de Montréal went on an indefinite general strike on Saturday morning.
Believing to be at an impasse in the negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreement, the croupiers began their strike at 9 a.m. and will set up a picket line in front of the casino at 2 p.m.
The croupiers are asking in particular for “better accommodation of working time and rest time to avoid injuries”, explained Jean-Pierre Proulx, union representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, in a press release.
He estimates that the number of employees who suffer from work-related injuries is “skyrocketing”.
Salary conditions are also at the heart of the negotiations, while the union affiliated with the Federation of Workers of Quebec (FTQ) accuses the employer of wanting to reduce the remuneration of croupiers to the level that prevailed in 2017.
“Loto-Québec wants to create a new salary scale that would ensure that the next employees hired would earn 90% of the base salary provided for in the collective agreement. (…) In a context of labor shortage, it is downright irresponsible and the union will never accept it,” insisted Mr. Proulx.
The 521 unionized dealers at the Casino de Montréal have been without a collective agreement since April 1, 2020.
To see in video