Loto-Québec might have made some decisions regarding its staff members without the need to, as it was recently pointed out by a labor union representing apportion of them. Syndicat de professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec stated that the reduction of the workweek and respectively their payment was unjustified, given the current financial situation of the Crown corporation.
The new changes were first unveiled last week and they affected as many as 470 individuals associated with the labor union representing government workers of Quebec. They will have to experience the changes over the course of the next half a year of daily operation and they range across various components of the daily work. The union stated that the Crown corporation seeks to save money.
Workweek Cuts
The union members affected by these changes work across several of the sectors of the Crown corporations, to the likes of the legal team, IT, communications, sales and marketing, finance, as well as real estate. The upcoming six months are going to see some major changes in the way their work is taking place.
One of the first changes that will be seen is the reduction of work hours. Up until last week, they had to work 35 hours a week. Now they will have to work 28 hours a week and there will be an income reduction on top of that. The slump in their payment is going to amount to 20 percent when all is said and done. Individuals affected by these changes were given the notice only a couple of days before they were implemented for a six-month period.
SPGQ President Line Lamarre also pointed out that the Crown corporation is seeking ways in which it could save about CA$5 million, but in reality, the gaming and lottery leader of Quebec does not struggle financially. He pointed out that over the past four months, the Crown corporation has made less income.
Payment Reduction Too
However, this does not mean that there are any financial struggles that could possibly explain why the lottery leader is implementing those changes to the daily work of unionized members among others. The provincial government made clear it is counting on a CA$1.37 billion allocation coming from the gaming revenue of Loto-Québec. Mr. Lamarre stated that the Crown corporation wants to guarantee itself sustainable profits ahead.
Some unionized workers have to work overtime, now that casino venues and gambling halls across Quebec begin to reopen and welcome patrons for the first time in four months. There was a collective agreement that was overseen by the Crown corporation. It aimed to see volunteers for the daily casino operation.
It could be recalled that the unprecedented situation witnessed the Crown corporation lay off some 2,250 casino staff members. Casino reopenings are also in progress. July 23 is expected to see the official reopening of Casino du Lac-Leamy. August 3 is projected to see the relaunch of Casino de Montréal.
