Nearly 1,000 employees at three Montreal hotels launched a surprise 24-hour strike on Sunday, the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) announced.
The Queen Elizabeth Hotel, the Marriott Château Champlain and the Bonaventure Hotel launched a surprise 24-hour strike on Sunday, in the context of coordinated negotiations by the CSN hotel industry, which concerns 30 hotels in Quebec.
“Hospitality workers do essential and demanding work while hotels are very busy during this summer period. They demand that hoteliers respect them and are determined to make themselves heard,” said Arianne Carmel-Pelosse, Vice-President of the Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain (CCMM — CSN), in a press release.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
A CSN demonstration in front of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel
The employees are asking for salary increases of 36% over four years to compensate for the loss of purchasing power linked to inflation and a greater employer contribution to the group insurance plan. But according to the CSN press release, the employers have asked for a reduction in working conditions at certain negotiating tables.
Employees at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel and the Bonaventure Hotel also both went on 24-hour strike last week.