Strike at the SQDC: Conciliation meeting over wage dispute unsuccessful

The conciliation meeting between the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) and the union of striking employees did not resolve the impasse.

An indefinite strike by members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the Fonds de solidarité (FTQ), has affected 22 branches of the state-owned company for almost five months.

The two parties met in conciliation for several hours last Friday – the first meeting since July 15.

The meeting was “respectful” and “constructive,” according to the president of the union branch CUPE 5454, David Clément. That is, Clément said, until an appeal to the treasury board cut short the discussions. According to him, the treasury board should not have granted the appeal.

Salary is indeed the main point in dispute now. Workers earn $17.12 per hour when hired, but the union is demanding that go up to $20 an hour.

Clément argues that store workers at the Liquor Corporation, another Crown corporation, earn $21.50 an hour at the entry level.

This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Oct. 11, 2022.