SAQ employees hold another day of strike action Monday
It remains unclear which SAQ branches will be closed and which will stay open.
Around 5,000 unionized employees at the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) will be absent from work on Monday, as their union accuses the employer of disregarding their demands in ongoing contract negotiations.
The SAQ Store and Office Employees Union announced that its members will hold their fifth strike day since negotiations, which have now stretched on for roughly 21 months, began.
It remains unclear which SAQ branches will be closed and which will stay open.
During previous strikes, some locations remained operational with managers stepping in, but not all.
Since October, according to the union, the employer has been pressing workers to drop their demands and accept proposals that the union characterizes as “setbacks.” Negotiations have reportedly reached an “impasse.”
While agreement has been reached on most clauses, the union states that salary, access to more permanent full-time roles, and group insurance coverage remain unresolved.
The SAQ has offered a 16.5 percent wage increase over six years, while the union countered with a proposal for a 20 percent increase over five years.
The SAQ Store and Office Employees Union is part of the Fédération des employées de services publics, affiliated with the CSN. The workers' previous collective agreement expired on March 31, 2023.
