The Syndicat des professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ), which is the union representing Loto Québec employees, revealed that the corporation’s workers are to protest in front of the Casino de Montreal as part of their strike action.
Yesterday, the 450 members of the afore-mentioned workers’ union said they are starting a new strike to protest against the latest offer made by their employed over the two parties’ collective agreement negotiations. The employees, who had already been on strike from July 20th to 23rd, are currently engaged in the sectors of communications, information technology, finance, sales and marketing, real estate, supply and in the legal sector.
Almost all of the union-represented workers – a total of 99.4% – voted in favor of a strike mandate to denounce the latest offer made by their employer as collective agreement talks are still underway. As revealed by Richard Perron, President of the SPGQ, the worker’s union has some concerns regarding job security. The employer, on the other hand, claims that its offer to the union workers was a generous one.
As it became clear yesterday, Loto-Québec proposed a salary increase of 0.3% per year over a five-year period. However, the union’s president called the offer “unacceptable”, especially considering the fact that the corporation has managed to generate record profits over the last two years. Mr. Perron said that profit of approximately CA$1.5 billion is generated by the corporation, and highlighted that the salary of the company’s president has been boosted by 21% in the five years from 2011 to 2016.
As far as the ongoing strike action is concerned, Mr. Perron explained that the remaining strike days will be strategically used.
Loto-Québec Remains Open for Further Negotiations
Loto-Québec, the provincial crown corporation mandated to administer and run lottery and casino operations in Quebec, said it was not willing to negotiate in public. Still, it released a statement aimed at providing more details about the offer which was earlier made to its employees.
As mentioned above, the employer explained that its offer was much more advantageous than the claims of union representing its employees. The corporation revealed that apart from the wage increase, the offer also included some improvements to its medical and dental insurance policy. Also, no changes to job security or subcontracting rules, as well as more flexible conditions for the working hours were offered.
Loto-Québec said that another meeting with its striking employees is set to be held on August 21st. As far as the Friday’s strike is concerned, the corporation explained that the fact that workers are to protest in front of the Casino de Montreal, would not lead to disruption of the service offering and lottery drawings.
The company also said that it remains open to further discussions with its employees in order to find the best possible solution to the situation. It further explained that an Employment Ministry conciliator is taking a part in the negotiation process between the two parties.
