The Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel declared a lockout early Wednesday morning, following the massive rejection of the employer’s proposal by union representatives during recent negotiations.
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Gathered in a general meeting on November 19, the hotel’s 600 unionized employees rejected their employer’s latest offer by 94% for the general unit and 100% for the reception and concierge unit.
They believe that the employer’s offer is “insufficient” and affirm that “the climate is particularly tense at this negotiating table, where anti-union tactics are increasing.”
“Rather than working to close the negotiation by granting the gains obtained through coordinated negotiation, the employer locks itself into a childish anti-union logic,” declared Alexandre Laviolette, president of the Fédération du commerce (FC-CSN), in a press release.
Note also that an agreement was reached for 17 other establishments in the hotel sector in Quebec in recent weeks.
“There is no reason why we cannot find a satisfactory agreement with Queen Elizabeth,” added Mr. Laviolette.
“Unreasonable” requests
For its part, the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel claims that “considerable efforts on the part of management over the past year” have been made and deplores that the discussions have not been successful.
The management side considers that several demands from the union are “unreasonable”.
«[L’hôtel] remains committed to finding a solution that respects the interests of its employees. […] in order to achieve a rapid and satisfactory resolution for all parties,” we can read in a press release.
This lockout is in addition to that of the Radisson Hotel, since November 1, and the unlimited general strike at the PUR Hotel in Quebec since September 13.
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