The union, which represents some 800 employees of the warehouses of the Société des alcools as well as those assigned to deliveries to branches, is suspending the strike until next Monday.
“We do not want to take SAQ clients hostage and since we are finally seeing progress at the negotiating table, we agree to suspend the strike for a few days in order to give the talks one last chance. The employees will therefore be back to work tomorrow, Wednesday morning, ”explained Michel Gratton, union advisor for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), in a press release.
The strike is suspended until Monday, November 29 at 5 a.m. The union had called an indefinite strike on Monday morning. In addition to these two days of walkout, the union held an isolated strike day on November 16. The strike vote was voted 94%, Gratton said.
“We are a crucial link in the chain that makes this crown corporation work and we are by far the lowest paid employees overall. Our members’ salaries are no longer competitive and they have to work too much overtime due to the labor shortage, ”said Gratton, adding that this shortage leads to health and safety issues. at work.
For its part, the management of the SAQ is committed to providing all the addresses where the company stores its bottles. The move reassures employers who feared hiring replacement workers, the union said.
CUPE expected to receive a “substantial” offer from SAQ management on Tuesday. He said on Sunday that he would then see if it was appropriate to interrupt his walkout.
As for the Société des alcools, it reported that the strike was already having a significant impact on supplies and deliveries.
Among the issues in dispute are wages, overtime, and occupational health and safety issues.
With The Canadian Press