Employees with Quebec’s liquor authority will not be striking ahead of the province’s popular Fête nationale holiday due to the union’s inability to tally the votes on time.
In the last week, some 5,500 employees from 400 Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) outlets cast their votes for a six-day strike mandate.
Union president Katia Lelievre announced last Monday the possibility of holding a strike on the eve of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, typically a lucrative period for Quebec’s liquor stores.
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As of Saturday, however, the votes had yet to be counted.
The delay is being blamed on the voting process which took longer than expected.
The last of the ballot boxes, sent to the union’s Montreal office for counting, didn’t arrive until late Friday night.
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Results of the vote will be communicated to union members on Sunday, and will only be made public on Monday.
Employees have been working since March 2017 under an expired collective agreement.
Negotiations have proven difficult over the issue of weekend work hours and the conditions of part-time employees.
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