Union says the 98 percent strike vote will increase pressure on the company on the outsourcing issue.
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Sucre Lantic workers voted 98 percent on Saturday in favor of an indefinite general strike mandate at a general assembly in Montreal.
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After 21 negotiating sessions, and in the face of their employer’s desire to resort to outsourcing, employees at the only sugar refining plant in Quebec are ready to increase the pressure, according to a press release.
“For several years, the use of outsourcing has increased significantly at the plant. While this week we were supposed to seriously discuss this aspect, which is the main topic at the negotiating table, the employer has come back to us proposing the status quo. It just doesn’t work, ”says Benoît Desrosiers, president of the Sucre Lantic-CSN Workers’ Union.
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The workers plan to go on strike when they see fit. That said, three days of negotiations are scheduled for next week. Discussions on monetary aspects have not yet started. The use of subcontracting is the issue that led the workers to vote in favor of this strike mandate, according to the general secretary of the CSN Trade Federation, Nancy Mathieu.
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The union also denounces that certain types of vacant positions are not replaced by a factory worker, but rather are delegated to outsourcing.
“Once again, we are being misled in our rights and in our contract jobs … we want to keep our jobs, they are well paid,” said Mathieu.
Sucre Lantic is one of the largest sugar refineries in Canada. The company has three factories located in Vancouver, Taber, Alta. And Montreal.
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In the union’s press release, Ms Mathieu predicted that an indefinite general strike would significantly slow down the pace of production. According to Mathieu, the other factories will not be enough to compensate for the closure of the Montreal factory.
“Sucre Lantic not only produces sugar for consumers through food markets, but also supplies producers like Heinz or Barry Callebaut, who supply a large proportion of chocolate production in North America. This strike could have significant impacts in many sectors ”.
The collective agreement expired in May 2021.
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Reference-montrealgazette.com