(Montreal) Croupiers at the Casino de Montreal are continuing their indefinite general strike launched on Saturday morning. They will demonstrate Sunday afternoon in Montreal.
Posted at 9:45 a.m.
The departure of the event is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Jean-Drapeau metro station to go to the Casino de Montréal.
Believing to be at an impasse in the negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreement, the croupiers began their strike on Saturday, in particular by erecting a picket in front of the casino in the afternoon.
Despite the strike, casino activities continued, Loto-Québec management said on Saturday. Gaming tables, restaurant, slot machines and shows are running as normal, while the poker lounge is closed.
The croupiers are asking in particular for “better accommodation of working time and rest time to avoid injuries”, explained Jean-Pierre Proulx, union representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, in a press release.
He estimates that the number of employees who suffer work-related injuries is “dizzying”.
In a press release, Loto-Québec says it offers safe and optimal working conditions to its employees. “However, the croupiers of the Casino de Montréal require 30 minutes of paid break for each hour worked. They would therefore spend more than 30% of their shift on paid break, which is unusual in the industry and the other casinos of the Company,” said management.
Salary conditions are also at the heart of the negotiations, while the union affiliated with the Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ) accuses the employer of wanting to reduce the remuneration of croupiers to the level that prevailed in 2017.
“Loto-Québec wants to create a new salary scale that would ensure that the next employees hired would earn 90% of the base salary provided for in the collective agreement. […] In a context of labor shortage, this is downright irresponsible and the union will never accept it,” insisted Mr. Proulx.
Management indicates that the entry salary is more than 20% above the reference market.
Loto-Québec says it wants to reach a “responsible negotiated agreement”, recalling that the negotiations are taking place according to “parameters similar to what was accepted by the same employment groups affiliated with CUPE in the other Loto-Québec casinos, including the croupiers of the Casino du Lac-Leamy”.
The 521 unionized croupiers at the Casino de Montréal have been without a collective agreement since 1er April 2020.