(Montreal) At the Casino de Montreal, the croupiers have been on strike for a week and their union estimates that the employer “would have lost in profit the equivalent of what the croupiers are asking for at the bargaining table”.
Posted at 1:18 p.m.
Represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the 521 unionized dealers at the Casino de Montréal have been without a collective agreement since 1er April 2020.
Believing to be at an impasse in the negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreement, the croupiers began their strike last Saturday.
Despite the strike, the activities of the casino continue, recalled the management of Loto-Québec on Saturday. Gaming tables, restaurant, slot machines and shows are running as normal, while the poker lounge is closed.
“Loto-Québec is disappointed that the Casino de Montréal croupiers’ union is continuing the strike when all the elements necessary to reach an agreement were accessible, especially since the last two years have been difficult for casino employees. “, specifies the direction in a press release.
Croupiers are asking for a better arrangement of their daily schedule in order to reduce injuries related to repetitive work.
“The casino is a state corporation that brings in a lot of money into public coffers to pay for our health and education services. We want to continue to do our part to fill these coffers, but we can no longer do so at the expense of our health. You should know that at the moment, the dispute concerns fifteen minutes per day of break that the employer does not want to pay, ”explains Jean-Pierre Proulx, union representative for CUPE, in a press release.
For its part, the employer says the croupiers of the Casino de Montréal ask for 30 minutes of paid break for each hour worked, while they are already entitled to two hours of paid break during an eight-hour shift.
Loto-Québec adds that it does not observe the increase in injuries mentioned by the union.
CUPE also accuses the employer of wanting to pay new recruits at 90% of the lowest salary scale. Management indicates that the entry salary is more than 20% above the reference market.
Loto-Québec says it wants to reach a “responsible negotiated agreement”, recalling that the negotiations are taking place according to “parameters similar to what was accepted by the same employment groups affiliated with CUPE in the other Loto-Québec casinos, including the croupiers of the Casino du Lac-Leamy”.