The Greater Montreal Hotel Association said it was “concerned” about the “strike threat” by unions at several hotels, which could be called this weekend. The next strike period will be announced Thursday, said the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN). It could affect hotels across the province.
After several walkouts in recent weeks, the Greater Montreal Hotel Association (GMHA) fears that another day of strike action could occur during the weekend of August 3-4 – “one of the busiest of the year,” it said in a press release.
Workers at several hotels located in Greater Montreal, but also in Quebec City and Sherbrooke, are “in the process of seeking strike mandates,” confirmed Hugo Forcier, union communications advisor at the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN).
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Employees at three Montreal hotels, the Queen Elizabeth, the Marriott Chateau Champlain and the Bonaventure, launched a surprise 24-hour strike last Sunday.
The Holiday Inn in Laval, the Delta hotels in Quebec and Sherbrooke, as well as the Comfort Inn in Dorval have voted for a strike since the beginning of the week.
Lasting 120 hours, these strike mandates can be triggered at any time. But the date of the next strike day has not yet been revealed. “We will make an announcement tomorrow,” added Hugo Forcier on this subject.
A “hostage-taking” for the AHGM
If a strike were to take place this weekend, “such action would take hostage not only the employees, but also the many visitors expected during this crucial period for Montreal’s tourism industry,” said the AHGM.
“Disputes must be resolved at the negotiating tables and not through disruptive actions,” added Eric Hamel, interim president and CEO of the AHGM, in a press release.
“The workers voted to strike, so I can’t see how they could be held hostage by their own actions,” replied Hugo Forcier.
Employees at three Montreal hotels, the Queen Elizabeth, the Marriott Chateau Champlain and the Bonaventure, launched a surprise 24-hour strike last Sunday. This was the third walkout of the 11e coordinated round of negotiations of the CSN hotel industry. In response, two of the three hotels have placed their employees in lockout Monday afternoon.
30 hotels representing 3,500 employees are taking part in the negotiations. The employees are demanding, among other things, salary increases of 36% over four years, to compensate for the loss of purchasing power linked to inflation.