Unions in 22 hotels in Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke are holding a joint strike day on Friday.
This is the second 24-hour strike held simultaneously by the unions. The first was held on Aug. 8.
Around 2,500 workers are involved, members of unions affiliated with the CSN-affiliated Fédération du commerce.
The union federation is conducting what is known as coordinated bargaining in several hotels where it has members. It is seeking to reach a settlement with a first hotel and then try to extend it to other establishments, even if they are different employers.
Friday’s strike affects two hotels in Sherbrooke and five in Quebec City; the others are in Montreal, explained Michel Valiquette, who is responsible for the sector at the Fédération du commerce, in an interview.
The dispute mainly concerns wages. The union members feel that they made sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the difficult situation in the hotels. They are therefore demanding a pay catch-up, including a 15 per cent increase in the first year. For a four-year contract, they are asking for a 36 per cent increase.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 30, 2024.