General strike at Société Québécoise Du Cannabis

The union representing Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC), represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), called a general strike on Friday, May 20.

The 300-member union claims that this strike action follows the suspension of the union's president and vice-president, as well as 75 employees.

According to a press release union press release, these people were suspended because they wore dresses and Bermuda shorts rather than the black pants and t-shirts required by SQDC. The refusal to wear the SQDC uniform was a pressure tactic to demand better wages and benefits, comparable to those of employees at the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), the Crown's wine and spirits agency.

Wage demands and better working conditions

SQDC members earn a starting wage of around 17 $ per hour, and the majority of employees have no full-time position or job security.

Almost all (91 %) unionized employees voted in February 2022 to introduce pressure tactics up to and including an unlimited general strike.

CUPE says it also wants to exercise its right to bargain for employees in new branches who have joined a union.

«All we are asking for are decent working conditions. At present, we feel no respect from our employer, and this is reflected in the mandates given to the management negotiating committee. In short, no, we won't be ‘cheap labor’ for the Crown corporations!» declared David Clément, President of Local 5454, last February.

An SQDC representative declined to comment on the negotiations, but pointed out that strike action is impacting 22 of SQDC's 89 sites in the province.

«SQDC fully recognizes the right of employees to assert pressure tactics in the current negotiations,» says Fabrice Giguère, communications advisor and spokesperson for SQDC. «We can't comment on current negotiations because we want to discuss the issues that need to be addressed at the bargaining table. Our goal is to reach a negotiated settlement to the satisfaction of all parties involved.»

«In addition, it's worth mentioning that 22 stores are currently on strike out of the 89 stores we have across the network. We want these 22 stores to remain open so that we can continue to serve our customers and fulfill our mandate of migrating consumers to the legal recreational cannabis market.»

SQDC operates all retail cannabis stores in Quebec, with nearly 100 pitches currently in operation. At the end of 2019, workers had already reached a collective agreement with CUPE representatives on sick leave.