Granby Zoo: Agreement in principle reached with union members

An agreement in principle was reached Thursday night between the 130 unionized employees of Granby Zoo and their employer, after more than six months of lockout.

The Syndicat national des salariés de la société zoologique de Granby, affiliated with the CSN, made the announcement in a press release, adding that no interviews would be granted to allow members to familiarize themselves with the agreement.

The zoo’s unionized employees include veterinary and animal care technicians, naturalist-interpreters, mechanics, carpenters and administrative staff.

In a post on the Facebook social network, Granby Zoo indicated that no details of the agreement will be released until employees vote on it at a meeting.

“We applaud the efforts of everyone involved in these discussions and remain committed to a constructive outcome for all employees and the organization,” the zoo wrote in the same post.

Granby Zoo management had locked out unionized employees at the end of last July, when they had given themselves a mandate to strike indefinitely. The union said at the time that the option of an unlimited strike, to be called at the appropriate time, had received the support of 91% of the members who met at a general assembly.

The employer had indicated that recourse to the lock-out was “to ensure stability for the well-being of the animals” and “to ensure predictability for the managers who provide […] the work of striking employees.”

The unionized workers’ collective agreement had expired on December 31, 2023.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews