The Queen Elizabeth Employees Union believes that in no case did it use intimidation or violence with its employer at the negotiating table. However, on Friday, the hotel filed a complaint against him, accusing him of showing bad faith in the procedures.
“There may be lively discussions on occasion, but at no time have we used intimidation or violence and we prohibit this type of attitude,” said Michel Valiquette , treasurer and representative of the hotel sector at the Fédération du commerce, affiliated with the CSN.
In the injunction filed by the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel on Friday afternoon, the hotel accused the Union, in particular, of slowing down the negotiation process by demanding unfair terms of agreement.
The establishment also listed events that it describes as acts of intimidation on the part of the Union, such as the use of a noisy plastic chicken when representatives left the room.
If Mr. Valiquette believes that this last event could indeed have taken place, he explained “that we must weigh the words properly” and that we are “far from violence and intimidation”. He said he was surprised by the allegations in the petition.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Michel Valiquette, treasurer and representative of the hotel sector at the Fédération du commerce, affiliated with the CSN.
According to him, the hotel itself has several things to complain about.
He recalls that in August, the Administrative Labor Court ruled that the suspension of a union delegate, a decision by Queen Elizabeth, represented an obstacle to the work of union representatives and had canceled it. The hotel was also reprimanded by the Court at the start of negotiations, in May, because it had installed surveillance cameras which allowed the employees’ union premises to be observed.
And last Friday, the day the injunction was filed, Mr. Valiquette assures that two inspectors went to the Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by union representatives, to check whether the hotel was using strikebreakers.
“Obviously, we saw that there were people who were not authorized to work,” he said. There will be a report to be issued soon. »
A second agreement concluded
The Delta Hotel in Sherbrooke is the second hotel to have reached an agreement as part of the coordinated negotiation of the hotel sector on Friday, confirmed Michel Valiquette.
The proposal adopted is similar to the agreement ratified at the Hilton hotel in Laval, which for its part concluded the renewal of its collective agreement on September 24, more than five months after the start of negotiations.
Mr. Valiquette believes that the only major problems are encountered at the Queen Elizabeth. “After 25 negotiation sessions, we are still within the normative clauses,” he specifies.
“We find it unfortunate that management decided to use the courts instead of putting their energy into negotiation,” concluded Mr. Valiquette.