After more than a month and millions of liters of wasted milk, the labor dispute at the Agropur plant in Granby could be coming to an end. A tentative agreement was reached Sunday between Agropur and the union representing the 250 employees on strike.
Posted at 7:12 p.m.
Updated at 9:57 p.m.
Details of the tentative agreement reached between the union and Agropur will be presented to employees on Wednesday. They can then confirm whether they have a new collective agreement or not.
The news of the agreement in principle was first announced by the Quebec Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, at the end of the day on Sunday. He congratulated the parties in a message posted on Twitter.
“I welcome the agreement in principle reached between Agropur and its employees affiliated with the CSD,” tweeted the minister. Finding solutions is always the best way to resolve a labor dispute. »
The information was then confirmed by the union advisor for communications of the Central of Democratic Unions (CSD), Simon Lajoie. He said the deal happened very late Friday night.
Back to work in the next few days?
Last Monday, the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec (FPLQ) asked the parties to “negotiate with diligence and commitment to avoid food waste and to put an end to the economic losses currently suffered by producers as a result of the conflict”.
Sunday’s announcement does not change the Federation’s position, told The Press François Dumontier, director of communications for the FPLQ. “We maintain this request as long as […] that a return to work will not be confirmed. »
As this is a tentative agreement, adoption of the proposed employment contract will be recommended to union members. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, but the time has not yet been announced.
The parties are still in discussion to establish the protocol for the return to work of the strikers. Employees are expected to return to the factory within the next few days.
More than a month of strike
The 250 employees on strike at the Agropur Cooperative plant in Granby, in the Eastern Townships, have been on an indefinite general strike since June 29. The question of working hours and job losses is at the heart of the demands of the employees represented by the CSD.
Agropur Cooperative filed 158 demands covering 32 of the 33 articles of the collective agreement.
The company, one of the largest in the province, receives 800,000 liters of milk per day and transforms 10% of Quebec milk into cheese.
In the first week of the conflict, 2 million liters of milk were thrown down the drain. Waste was subsequently avoided thanks to the efforts of the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec in particular.
With The Canadian Press