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SAQ liquor strike continues past holidays in Quebec
Liberal government of Premier Jean Charest
government trying to crush strikers at any cost
Montreal - The strike by 3,800 employees of the Quebec liquor board,
which began Nov. 19, is continuing into
the new year.
Premier Jean Charest, a former Mulroney era Tory cabinet minister
before joining the Liberal party and switching to provincial
politics, is paying a high price in lost revenue and inconvenience
to citizens as he attempts to impose his will on
employees. |
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John Coones,
OLBEU president |
Untold millions in liquor taxes and profits were lost by the
government over the holiday season, the most lucrative time of the
year for sales. And now
the SAQ (Societe des alcools du Quebec) is trying to
increase pressure on workers by threatening to cut store hours once
the conflict finally ends.
"What the strike has taught us is that people, when they need
something, will travel to get it," Philippe Duval, vice-president of
human resources for the SAQ, told The Gazette.
"That's the opposite of what we thought when we said we were going to
(have stores) everywhere. So we'll keep the same network, but maybe
the store hours will vary now."
Psychological warfare
It's not known how serious the SAQ is in making the threat or how much
its public statements can be attributed to psychological warfare with workers on picket lines.
The SAQ has 801 points of sale across the province, including 398
branded outlets, like SAQ Classique. It also has 403 independent sales agents,
mostly convenience stores. There is one SAQ point of sale for every
8,700 Quebecers.
Revenue at each SAQ point of sale in Quebec is about $2.58 million a
year on average, 60% less than per-store sales at the Liquor Control
Board of Ontario, which has fewer outlets.
The strike is being closely watched in Ontario, where employees of the
Liquor Control Board of Ontario are going to the bargaining table early
this year.
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and the
Ontario Liquor Boards Employees Union (OLBEU/NUPGE) have thrown their
full support behind the Quebec workers.
Issues are similar
“The OLBEU will be entering into negotiations in January and will be
fighting for many of the same issues that you and your members are
fighting for," OLBEU president
John Coones told Quebec employees in a
letter of support when the strike began.
"Please assure your members (SEMB-SAQ) that the members of the OLBEU
offer our total support in your strike action,” Coones said.
The Charest government is demanding that the union accept a 10-year
contract that includes weekend shifts for full-time workers. The union
wants Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday-Thursday and Monday-Friday shifts. This
would end Wednesday-Sunday and Thursday-Monday shifts that now prevent
full-timers from enjoying a full weekend off.
Other issues involve the scheduling of part-timers, an agreed process
for determining the number of full-time jobs, and the proliferation of
non-union private retail outlets in grocery stores and remote
communities.
The province has hired former Parti Quebecois Premier Lucien Bouchard
as its chief negotiator in the dispute. NUPGE
Web posted by NUPGE:
5 January 2004
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