Unionized Sépaq workers could adopt mandate for unlimited strike

Some 2,500 union members working at the Société des établissements de plein air (Sépaq) may soon adopt a mandate for pressure tactics that could go as far as an unlimited strike.

These workers are members of the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ) — a large union independent of the central labour bodies.

The union members work in various national parks, wildlife reserves, campgrounds, tourist centres and at the Aquarium of Quebec, among others.

Members’ general meetings to vote on this mandate will be held in Feb. and March, said Christian Daigle, SFPQ general president, in an interview on Friday.

The collective agreement expired on Dec. 31, 2023. Negotiations have been going on for several months, but Daigle reports that the union is still waiting for a wage offer to be tabled. Work on job classification, a prerequisite for this negotiation, has delayed the process.

“The monetary deposit is going to be the deciding factor for the rest of the process. There’s no doubt that it’s the cornerstone,” says Daigle.

If the SFPQ obtains the mandate it is seeking from its members, heavier pressure tactics could be applied “from the start of the season,” he said.

“We’re thinking of the start of fishing in wildlife reserves. We’re thinking about the start or opening of fishing in the parks. We’re thinking about tourist resorts and campgrounds too.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews