With a starting industry salary of $21.50 per hour, it’s no surprise that Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) has a reputation as a well-paying employer. But what are the working conditions in the state-owned company? To find out, we talked with currently four SAQ employees working in branches and warehouses.
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In the industry – at SAQ and SAQ Sélection
Is the salary really that good?
The hourly entry wage at SAQ and SAQ Sélection stores is $6.25 higher than the minimum wage in Quebec, which is $15.25 per hour. Including minor benefits, the hourly wage is $23.10, the SAQ states in the careers section of its website.
After just over six years as a cashier and saleswoman at a store in Lanaudière, Julie* earns $24.40 an hour. For them, the SAQ’s reputation as a well-paying employer is overstated due to job instability in its early years. And even if it is above the minimum wage, SAQ employees’ compensation is not keeping pace with the rise in the cost of living, she believes.
“It’s not what it used to be. Now this job is more suitable for students,” says Julie.
Nadine* has been working as a cashier and saleswoman in a SAQ branch in the Montérégie region for 16 years. She earns about $30 an hour. She was able to reach this level by working in “smaller positions” that moved her up the salary ladder before taking on a full-time job.
However, she said she couldn’t repeat the trip again. The most recent collective agreement, which expired on March 31, instead provides for salary increases that vary between 1.75% and 2% depending on the year.
In fact, members of the SAQ Store and Office Employees Union are exerting pressure in negotiations over their new collective agreement. The branch employees do not rule out the possibility of a strike, reveals Julie.
Nadine still believes that the state-owned company’s social benefits are considerable. “You can contribute to the pension fund even if you work part-time and are on call,” she notes.
Julie regrets that part-time employees with less than 7 years of service are not covered by group insurance.
The schedule to forget
For the two employees we spoke to, the schedule is the least valued aspect of working at a SAQ branch. On the one hand, because the working hours are not guaranteed, but also because it takes a long time to obtain a permanent position.
For part-time workers who don’t have a set schedule, this job insecurity can be particularly stressful. Julie also had to collect unemployment insurance last winter because she only worked 12 hours a week.
“I worked 37 hours a week for two years, now it’s down to 12 hours. It was a difficult winter. You have to be persistent to stay,” she emphasizes.
“It’s all well and good to have a good hourly wage, but if you don’t have hours, it doesn’t pay very well. “You’re better off working at Walmart with a guaranteed 10 hours,” Nadine adds.
Part-time employees, who do not have much seniority, are on call and are assigned work hours that vary from week to week depending on the needs of the industry.
“On Friday afternoons, when the weather is nice, managers have to make a lot of calls because employees prefer to enjoy the evening. We often end up lacking employees and things become more tiring and demanding. “We don’t have time for tableting and we have to walk a lot while serving customers, which puts us at risk of getting injured,” explains Julie.
According to her, on-call work is more difficult for both workers and store managers, as they sometimes have to abandon their duties for a certain period of time to find an employee willing to work the same day.
Joël Lemay / QMI Agency
She finds it difficult to understand why the state-owned company is doing this.
However, Nadine hopes that the labor shortage will change something and that the SAQ will start offering guaranteed hours to workers who do not have permanent employment.
The 62-year-old employee only received her job after twelve years of service. “It’s crazy, it took me 12 years and [l’horaire de] my post is ugly. “We’re talking about a position that works on Saturdays and Sundays,” she complains.
“It takes at least 20 years of service to have a Monday-to-Friday schedule,” she says.
Because of all these uncertainties associated with her job, Julie has no plans to stay at SAQ long-term, even though it was a childhood dream to work there.
“I ask myself questions, like many of my colleagues,” she admits.
A demanding job
In addition to the positions of director and assistant manager, the position of cashier/salesperson is the only one that exists in stores. This means that those who work there must carry out a large part of the tasks associated with the proper functioning of a branch.
“We do everything, not just the cash register,” explains Nadine. We sell, we unpack the pallets [de commande]We lift and place boxes. It’s a lot of physical work.”
On Friday, she estimates that she will have to unpack and place around a hundred boxes because the branch she works for receives an order for ten pallets on Thursday evening. “Plus there are a lot of customers as it is the day before the weekend. It’s not always easy,” she says.
MARIO BEAUREGARD/AGENCE QMI
However, she values teamwork and believes that SAQ is an employer that listens to its employees.
“No basic knowledge of wine or spirits is required to participate. The knowledge, [la SAQ] bring them to you. Courses or training courses are always offered. You just need a secondary 5 education and that’s it,” she said.
The products offered at SAQ are Julie’s passion. “We often shine stars in the eyes of customers and that’s what I love about my job. “There are more people who leave satisfied than dissatisfied,” she boasts.
In stock
An “excellent” salary
In a warehouse, the starting salary is higher than in a store: when hired, a warehouse attendant earns $23.09 per hour, rising to $24.65 per hour after the probationary period is over.
The positions are also much more diverse, says Carl*, who has been an SAQ employee for 21 years and works as a chef. The Crown corporation does not subcontract cafeteria meals for its employees.
“We have almost 800 warehouse employees and 300 office employees. That’s a lot of mouths to fill,” he explains.
In addition to cooks, there are all sorts of professions that take care of the “smooth operations” in the warehouse, including mechanics, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, housekeeping helpers and truck drivers, as well as unskilled workers who prepare orders for the stores.
“It’s a big family of jobs, the SAQ!” summarizes the man, who earns $33.51 an hour and initially trained as a receiving, shipping and delivery clerk.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
The most current collective agreement for warehouse employees provides for almost ten salary levels, each with six levels, depending on the position, to which you advance after a set number of working hours.
For the warehouse guard position – for which the SAQ is conducting a recruitment drive – the highest pay scale is $33.22 per hour, which is typically achieved after five years. Various supplements for evening shifts ($1.55 per hour) and weekend shifts ($4.12 per hour) may also be added to compensation.
For Céline*, who works in a warehouse in Montreal, the salary is “excellent” compared to the educational level required by the SAQ. She earns $39.40 an hour.
Social benefits such as group insurance and retirement provision are also worth their weight in gold for them. All employees of the state-owned company have access to the Government and Public Bodies Retirement Plan (RREGOP).
“Our group insurance is expensive because there are many accidents at work and several people are unable to work. But they are good and there is a family plan,” she says.
A more satisfying schedule
In the warehouse, most employees work full-time, i.e. 38.75 hours spread over four or four and a half days, according to the collective agreement.
The shifts are varied: the day shifts start early in the morning – at 6:30 a.m. for most employees – and the evening shifts end in the middle of the night – at 2:15 a.m.
In contrast to branch employees, Carl and Céline are satisfied with their schedule.
A “worse than zero” working environment
Despite good salaries and attractive additional benefits, the working atmosphere in the warehouses leaves a lot to be desired, say the two employees with whom 24 Heures spoke.
“As an employer, SAQ doesn’t really listen to its employees,” says Carl.
Despite the working climate, which has become “worse than zero” in recent years, Céline, who has been working at the state-owned company since 1997, has no plans to change jobs. He only has 5 years left until he can retire.
“I have been contributing to my pension fund for 25 to 26 years and if I leave, I will lose my RREGOP. Thanks to the people I meet locally, I still love the work I do and I don’t think I’ll leave. If I don’t win the jackpot, I’ll leave tomorrow morning,” she says.
“If I had another 15 years, there’s no way I would stay,” she says.
The same goes for Carl, who has no plans to leave. He still has 13 years left before he retires.
*Fictitious first names to prevent employees from being disadvantaged because of their statements.