The union representing more than 300 employees at 24 branches of the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) said Tuesday that it had obtained a strike mandate from its members.
In a press release, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced that during a general assembly held on Sunday, 91 per cent of members voted in favour of a proposal allowing to initiate pressure tactics that could go as far as an unlimited general strike, at a time deemed appropriate.
After eight negotiation meetings, a mediator was appointed in this dispute by the Ministry of Labour, at the request of the employer, the union said.
The main demands surround working hours, wages, team leader positions and transfers between branches, union officials said.
Daniel Morin, union representative at CUPE, maintains that the employer refuses to recognize the right to negotiate for the employees of the new branches that have unionized.
David Clément, president of the Union of SQDC employees, assures that the executive is open to mediation.
— With files from Global News’ Brayden Jagger Haines