New surprise strikes were called in Montreal hotels on Thursday, while several establishments in the province will be affected by a “province-wide hotel strike” on Aug. 8.
The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) announced that more than 400 workers at the Gouverneur Place Dupuis hotel and the DoubleTree hotel began a 36-hour strike on Thursday.
“This is the fourth walkout in the 11th round of coordinated bargaining for the CSN hotel industry, which this year includes 30 Quebec hotels and more than 3,500 workers,” reads a press release issued by the union.
Earlier on Thursday morning, the CSN argued that a provincial strike on Aug. 8 was necessary because of the “lack of progress at the bargaining tables on the common demands of coordinated bargaining.”
The strike will affect hotels in Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke.
The union said “thousands of hotel workers” would be on strike for 24 hours.
Employees at half of the 30 hotels taking part in the negotiations have voted in favour of a 120-hour strike mandate, which they can call at any time.
The workers are making seven main demands in the negotiations, including a 36 per cent pay rise over four years. They also want their employers to increase their contribution to the group insurance plan and to put an end to the use of employment agencies, among other things.
Last Sunday, some 1,000 workers at three well-known Montreal hotels — The Queen Elizabeth, Château Champlain and Bonaventure — went on a surprise 24-hour strike.
Hundreds of hotel workers demonstrated in front of the Marriott Château Champlain on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 1, 2024.