The management of the Granby Zoo has locked out its approximately 130 employees, who had given themselves an unlimited strike mandate last week, arguing that the context made it “impossible to[exploiter] effectively the site under threat of service interruption at any time.”
The workers affected by the current negotiations are veterinary and animal care technicians, naturalist-interpreters, mechanics, carpenters, as well as members of the administrative staff whose collective agreement expired on December 31.
After walking out for the last nine days, exhausting the bank of ten strike days they had set aside earlier this month, they were due to return to work Monday morning. However, when they arrived at the site, they were informed that a lockout had been declared by their employer.
Park management has argued that the lockout provides stability for the welfare of the animals and predictability for managers who provide the jobs of affected employees.
“We are in the most important financial period for the Granby Zoo,” recalled its president and CEO, Paul Gosselin, in an interview with The Canadian Press, referring to the two-week construction vacation.
“You have to understand that last night [dimanche]as the 10th was endinge daytime [de grève]my unionized employees also already had in hand an unlimited strike mandate. And given that spectre, I did not want there to be one or two days of return to work, and then we go back on an unlimited strike.”
“I wanted to make sure that there was continuity, and above all consistency, in the service delivery and experience of our visitors on the zoo site,” he said.
The Syndicat national des salariés de la société zoologique de Granby, affiliated with the CSN, had in fact announced last Friday that the unlimited strike option had received the support of 91% of the members who had met in a general assembly. However, this had not been triggered immediately.
“We said to ourselves that the message to the employer was perhaps strong enough to change the attitude at the negotiating table and we wanted to make room for negotiation,” explained the president of the CSN’s Estrie central council, Denis Beaudin, in an interview.
Despite the lockout, talks at the negotiating table were expected to continue on Monday.
“I will remain positive: perhaps despite the lockout, the employer has received the message and will change its attitude at the negotiating table,” said Mr. Beaudin.
A question of predictability
The zoo remains open despite the lockout, management assured. However, “it is possible that the strike will have slight impacts on the experience” of visitors, which is why the admission price has been reduced from $59.99 to $39.99.
Mr. Gosselin estimated that about “5%” of the customer experience may be affected by the lockout and noted that the $20 discount also serves a purely marketing purpose aimed at attracting more visitors during this pivotal summer period.
When asked if the current labour dispute has hurt the Granby Zoo during the month of July, Mr. Gosselin took a nuanced position: “Last year, we had a less good summer in terms of tourism in Quebec — the weather, we will remember, was very, very bad, it rained a lot. This summer, the weather is there, so our attendance figures are better than last year.”
“Now, could they have been even better? Is the impact being felt? I would admit, certainly, but at the same time, we are still happy to see the number of people who come to visit, to live the experience at the Granby Zoo,” he said.
The workers held a first day of strike action on July 9, before starting a series of strikes on July 20.
Union members are demanding greater job stability. They also want to facilitate the reconciliation of family, work and studies, as well as promote the attraction and retention of staff. For the moment, the issue of salaries has not been addressed.
According to Mr. Beaudin of the CSN, workers’ priorities vary depending on their job category.
“For some sectors of activity, what is important for them is above all continuing education. For others, it is the work schedule. For others, it is the employment status. So, all the points that we wanted to negotiate were important for all workers,” he mentioned.
For its part, the Granby Zoo stressed that it had submitted a global offer on July 22 to the employees involved and said it hoped to “quickly reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial for all parties concerned.”