2023-06-03 15:53:03
(Montreal) More than 1,000 employees of the Casino de Montreal have just given themselves a five-day strike mandate to be used “when the time is right” — and the very busy weekend of the Formula 1 Grand Prix might well be that famous “opportunity”.
The CSN-affiliated union that represents casino employees announced on Saturday that its members voted 91% in favor of a five-day bank strike, noting from the outset that this mandate is given to it “at the approaching the Montreal Grand Prix”.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, the president of the security workers’ unit at the Casino de Montreal, Riccardo Scopelleti, confirmed that the employees will not be afraid to disrupt this crucial weekend if negotiations do not progress. not by then.
“We do not reveal all our secrets, but we are aiming for these dates indeed. We can assure that we will be visible during these days if we do not receive a call to return to the negotiation tables,” said Mr. Scopelleti on the phone.
The Formula 1 race on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit on Île Notre-Dame, where the casino is also located, is one of the most popular tourist events in Montreal during the summer season, attracting well over 100 000 people over the weekend. It will take place this year from June 16 to 18.
The casino employees’ union intends to use this major event to put pressure on the employer with whom it has been negotiating, Loto-Québec, since June 2022.
The question of salary is at the center of the dispute. The employees are asking for raises that represent “the equivalent of the cost of living increase plus $1 an hour”, in order to “protect the purchasing power of employees and improve attraction and retention”.
“The salary is the only thing that remains to be settled,” said Mr. Scopelleti. We settled the standard just before the holidays, but since February, it has not advanced one iota in seven meetings with the employer. »
For its part, Loto-Québec quickly reacted to this exit from the union to recall that two “global and generous” monetary offers have already been presented to union members.
“All of the adjustments proposed make it possible to deal with the major issues of attraction, retention and the economic context. […] The overall compensation of casino employees is very attractive, particularly on the issue of salaries, the bonus plan, bonuses and the defined benefit pension plan, “said the employer side.
But Mr. Scopelleti does not share this vision of things.
“For three years, we have not been able to live up to the salaries in the industry, we have difficulty hiring, like everyone else, we are losing our staff with a vengeance, because it resigns and it goes to better conditions elsewhere, ”he lamented, adding that the workload of employees who remain in post is found to be heavier.
The paralyzed casino?
The people involved in the current negotiations work in customer service, catering and security. Thus, 31 departments would be affected by the pressure tactics, from slot machine attendants to housekeeping employees.
“All operations would be affected, that’s for sure,” said Scopelleti.
Loto-Québec, however, reiterated on Saturday that all activities in the casinos “are proceeding normally despite the holding of pressure tactics by certain groups of employees”. “These means of pressure do not lead to the cessation of operations”, we hammered.
Mr. Scopelleti has also heard that management intends to maintain services even during a possible strike, but he wants to see it to believe it: “With 400 or 700 people to replace on a shift … good luck”, has he launched.
Employees of the Casino de Gatineau and Online Games have also given themselves a similar five-day strike mandate, while workers at the Charlevoix and Mont-Tremblant casinos are expected to hold votes in the coming days.
Only the croupiers are not concerned by the current negotiations, since they are represented by another union. They had also held various means of pressure last year, before agreeing with their employer in August.
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