(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 could well be that famous “opportunity moment”.
In a statement released Saturday, the CSN-affiliated union that represents casino employees announced that its members voted 91% in favor of a five-day bank strike, noting at the outset that this mandate is given “in the run-up to the Montreal Grand Prix”.
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. It will take place this year from June 16 to 18.
The casino employees’ union could use this crucial weekend to speed up negotiations with the employer, Loto-Québec, which have been underway since June 2022.
The question of salary is at the center of the dispute. Employees are asking for raises that are “equivalent to the cost of living increase plus $1 an hour” to “protect employees’ purchasing power and improve attraction and retention.”
For its part, Loto-Québec quickly reacted to this announcement with its own press release to ensure that activities are taking place normally in the province’s casinos, despite the ongoing pressure tactics.
The employer party believes that it has already presented “two comprehensive and generous monetary offers” which were adequate, according to it, to “deal with the major issues of attraction, retention and the economic context”.
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.
The people involved in the current negotiations work in customer service, catering and casino security. Only the croupiers are not concerned, since they are represented by another union.
The croupiers had also held various means of pressure last year, before agreeing with their employer in August.