Strike at the SAQ: an agreement in principle reached

Branches of the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) will be able to get a makeover without the stickers with union slogans that have covered their walls for months following an agreement in principle reached Monday evening.

It took 22 months of negotiations for the SAQ and its 5,000 store and office employees to agree on a new employment contract. No details have yet filtered out regarding the agreement announced in a terse press release on Tuesday morning.

“We cannot reveal anything before presenting the agreement to the members,” said François L’Écuyer, of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), Tuesday morning. The SAQ Store and Office Employees Union is affiliated with the CSN.

The details of the new collective agreement will be revealed to representatives of the 5,000 affected employees during a general council to be held Wednesday and Thursday. The document will be submitted for their approval during this council.

The union fought to have more positions created at the SAQ. Of the 5,000 employees in stores and offices, 1,800 are permanent compared to 3,200 temporary.

The Union also demanded a salary increase of 18% over three years as well as indexation to inflation. The hourly salary of a cashier-salesperson at the SAQ is currently $21.50 at the first salary level and $28.15 at the sixth and final level.

The last employer offer, in October, was 16.5% over six years. The Union responded with a counter-proposal of 20% over five years.

Five days of strike

It was following this wage counter-proposal that a surprise one-day strike was called on November 4.

It was the fifth day of employee walkouts in 2024. On Friday, October 18, all employees left their jobs unexpectedly at 2:30 p.m., which led to the closure of the majority of branches that evening.

The SAQ was delighted on Tuesday that it will be able to offer more certainty in opening hours on the eve of the holiday season.

“The SAQ would like to thank its customers for their patience during this negotiation,” said the state-owned company in a press release.