A strike that has been affecting 26 SQDC cannabis retail outlets across Quebec could be ending soon, says the union behind the action.
On November 7, both parties received a recommendation from a mediator, which both accepted. The union will now present it to the approximately 230 members of CUPE 5454 to renew their collective agreement in a vote at a special meeting on November 12. It will be recommending acceptance of the decision.
CUPE 5454 (The Canadian Union of Public Employees) is one of the unions representing employees of some province-run SQDC cannabis stores. The union called a general strike in May of this year in response to the suspension of the president and vice-president of the union, along with 75 employees.
The union has been calling for better working conditions and wages for their 300 members currently employed in two dozen SQDC branches. The SQDC has said that they hope to reach a negotiated agreement to the satisfaction of all parties involved.
“We managed to put an end to this crisis, which will finally enable the workers we represent to be paid wages befitting a Crown Corporation. They will have the last word, but our bargaining committee believes that this recommendation deserves acceptance,” commented CUPE representative Daniel Morin.
SQDC has not yet released a comment on the topic. In an update posted on October 29, the provincial agency listed several striking locations that were expected to occasionally close over “the next few weeks.”
Earlier this year, a Superior Court of Quebec issued an injunction to limit union “pressure tactics” against SQDC.
Note: This article has been edited to change the number of impacted stores form 24 to 26.
