Several surprise strike days for Quebec hotel workers

After a national strike day in the hotel sector on 8 August, which saw 2,600 workers go on strike, several Montreal hotels have continued the movement with surprise strike days. These strike days came as management turned a deaf ear to workers' demands and delayed coming to the negotiating table.

Workers at the Marriott Château Champlain, Hyatt Place Montréal - Downtown, Queen Elizabeth, Doubletree Montréal and Faubourg Montréal hotels have all taken strike action. In all, more than 1,000 workers were on strike on 9, 10 and 17 August.

“These surprise strikes, which followed one after the other, demonstrate the determination of workers to be heard and respected. These renewed demonstrations of the mobilization and solidarity of hotel workers send a clear message to employers that they must negotiate seriously,” explained Michel Valiquette, head of the hotel sector and treasurer of the CSN's Fédération du commerce, in an interview with The North Star.

The key demand of the coordinated negotiation remains unchanged, namely a 36% pay catch-up over 4 years. According to our information, in some hotels the platform of common demands has not yet been addressed in the negotiations. This is due to the slow pace of negotiations. In several hotels, the employer is delaying them in order to take advantage of a very lucrative summer season.

On 12 August, 95% of Queen Elizabeth workers adopted a strike mandate that could go as far as an unlimited general strike. This is the first mandate of its kind in this round of bargaining. For the union, this mandate is a summons to the employer to come to the bargaining table and take their demands seriously.

According to Michel Valiquette, “the only way to avoid strike action and achieve a rapid resolution to the labour dispute is to negotiate genuinely. Hotel workers are determined to have their demands respected.”

“With the employer, it's one step forward and two steps back. It's time for the employer to show some seriousness at the bargaining table and encourage a rapid resolution to the labour dispute.”

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), which owns the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, has already demonstrated its bad faith towards the union in the past. Last May, it was ordered by the Administrative Labour Tribunal to stop filming the entrance to the employees’ union local. 

Last January, the CDPQ had several cameras installed in areas reserved for employees.