The 5,500 unionized workers who work in Quebec’s more than 400 retail liquor stores and offices are walking off the job Thursday.
READ MORE: SAQ workers threaten 3 day strike
It’s the fourth day of strikes this November for Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) employees.
The union is holding a protest in Quebec City and is bringing in members from across the province by bus.
READ MORE: SAQ workers turn wine labels around as pressure tactic
Representatives say they believe a resolution is possible and is demanding a meeting with the finance minister to discuss an acceptable wage offer — rather than salary increases below the rate of inflation.
“For the union, this is one of the only obstacles that still preclude the conclusion of an agreement, as significant progress has been made in other areas of the collective agreement,” it said in a statement earlier this month.
READ MORE: ‘We didn’t have a choice’: SAQ employees walk off the job in surprise strike Friday
In addition to six surprise strike days during the summer, store windows have been plastered with union stickers.
In some stores, employees turned bottles around so products could not be easily identified and price tags on shelves were flipped upside down.
In September, workers voted 96 per cent in favour of creating a new bank of 18 strike days for use at the union’s discretion.
Thursday marks the union’s 10th strike day.
READ MORE: Frustrated SAQ workers walk off the job
The contract dispute dates back to March 21, 2017.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
Comments