The labour dispute at the Fantasia Film Festival has been settled.
On Tuesday, employees voted unanimously in favour of the agreement in principle reached on July 12, announced the Syndicat des employé-es de l’événementiel-CSN, Fantasia section, on Wednesday.
This is their first collective agreement.
In June, the members voted unanimously for five days’ strike action to be taken at the appropriate time. They also walked off the job last Thursday hoping to advance discussions at the bargaining table.
“The perseverance and exemplary mobilization of the employees paid off and forced the employer to listen to the workers‘ demands,” said the union in a press release.
“We had to stand our ground right up to the very end to succeed and put a stop to our precarious situation. With this first collective agreement, we are laying the groundwork for improving our working conditions,” said Justine Smith, a member of the negotiating committee for the Syndicat des employé-es de l’événementiel-CSN, section Fantasia.
Among the newfound gains, the union highlights new employee statuses and associated benefits, minimum wage thresholds for each job category, salary increases ranging from 3 per cent to 22 per cent in 2024, nine paid public holidays, etc.
The 28th edition of Fantasia gets underway on Thursday.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews