Vandalism, damaged equipment, insulted employees. The vaccine passport represents a real source of conflict for traders forced to impose it on their customers, deplore the associations of traders who are asking the authorities to tell them concretely when they will put an end to this measure.
Posted at 6:03 p.m.
“Trademarks are dragged through the mud on social networks, some will be for a long time. Some storefronts were vandalized, equipment smashed, employees pushed and beaten and customers expelled from stores,” reads an open letter signed by representatives of the Conseil québécois de commerce de retail (CQCD), the Conseil canadien du commerce de Retail Trade (CCCD) and the Quebec Hardware and Building Materials Association (AQMAT).
“The retailer has become an easy target for part of the population frustrated by health measures. We can no longer count the number of employees who no longer want to be placed at the door of businesses; the stress level is palpable and absences from work are increasing, ”one also writes.
Among the relaxations announced by Quebec on Tuesday, businesses learned that they would no longer have to limit the number of customers by opening at 100% of their capacity from February 21.
If the news was applauded, the joy of trade associations was however overshadowed since the vaccine passport was maintained for stores of 1,500 square meters and more, with the exception of supermarkets and pharmacies.
“In the absence of a concrete plan to return to normal, concern is growing among retailers,” the letter said. We need a clear message from the authorities telling us the next date for the withdrawal of the vaccine passport from the stores. This request is simple and will allow retailers and their employees to plan their labor needs accordingly and consider a return to some normality. »