Loto-Québec’s decision to pay full wages to its employees sent home when the gaming establishments close in the spring of 2020 will have cost $ 53.6 million, has learned The newspaper.
According to data from an access to information request, 3,753 employees of the state-owned company continued to receive their paychecks between March 13 and the end of June, despite the closure of casinos and game rooms due to the spread of COVID-19 in Quebec.
“These expenses are absolutely unjustified. This is something that could have helped the government to get into less debt, ”said Renaud Brossard, director in Quebec for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“For me, it’s a bit of a waste of money,” adds the one who believes that Loto-Quebec should have reviewed its salary policy well before the end of June. “In the private sector, they quickly made changes. “
For its 2020-2021 fiscal year, Loto-Québec paid a dividend of $ 432.6 million to the government of Quebec —. A year earlier, it was $ 1.33 billion that ended up in the coffers of the state.
“Unfortunately, it is the taxpayers who are now suffering from an additional $ 53.6 million in debt in Quebec,” deplores Mr. Brossard.
This invoice is in addition to the $ 1.97 million that was paid to employees by Loto-Québec in 2020-2021 for overtime.
Exceptional context
For its part, Loto-Québec replies that this decision concerning the payment of the full salary was taken in an “exceptional context” and that the priority for the organization was then to “maintain the workforce and the expertise ”.
In March 2020, when the first confinement was announced, Quebec initially planned to shut down its economy for three weeks.
It was when activities resumed with the various health measures put in place that Loto-Québec finally decided to stop paying all of its workers and to proceed with temporary layoffs.
“It was impossible for the Company to predict how long it would be out of business,” says management. The crown corporation did not take advantage of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy.
“At the end of June, it was clear that the resumption of activities would only take place gradually and the company had to review its mode of operation, aiming for an alignment between its staffing needs and a significant drop in its revenues”, adds- she does.
In the fall of 2020, when the gaming establishments were closed again, Loto-Québec chose not to pay the full salary to its workers, who were temporarily dismissed.
Currently, 60% of the 4,271 employees on temporary layoff have been reinstated. About 35% are still waiting to be called back and Loto-Québec estimates that 5% have found a new job.
In its first quarter 2021-2022, Loto-Québec recorded a profit of $ 195.7 million.
Some important dates for Loto-Québec during the pandemic
- Closure of gaming establishments on March 13, 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19
- Gradual reopening of casinos and gaming halls from the mid-July 2020
- Closure of gaming establishments in red zones again from the month ofoctober 2020
- Reopening of gaming sites in June 2021
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