SAQ office staff on week-long strike starting Thursday

Office, technical, and professional staff at the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) will go on strike starting Thursday.

The approximately 500 employees of the Crown corporation, represented by the Syndicat du personnel technique et professionnel de la SAQ (SPTP-SAQ-CSN), will strike for seven days unless an agreement in principle is reached before then.

This is a first in the union’s more than 50 years of existence.

The union deplores the fact that the SAQ’s salary offers are not up to par, while its members have been without a collective agreement since March. They voted in early Oct. to set aside 15 days for strike action.

Among the SPTP-SAQ-CSN’s demands is the introduction of teleworking into the collective agreement, another sticking point with the employer.

The SAQ’s office, technical, and professional staff are involved in the operation of the SAQ.com website site, store supply, quality control, and payroll.

“We wish to emphasize that negotiations are actively continuing between the parties with the aim of reaching an agreement that is satisfactory for the union, our employees, and the SAQ. We remain fully committed to this negotiation process,” said the SAQ in a press release. “To ensure our operations continue as much as possible, a contingency plan has been implemented. For the time being, all our branches remain open and ready to welcome our customers throughout Quebec. In the event of a service disruption, the SAQ will proactively communicate with its customers and partners to keep them informed and minimize the impacts.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews