Employees of 24 branches of the Société québécoise du Cannabis (SQDC), which have been on strike for a year and a half, are finally set to go back to work in the coming days.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which has represented workers at the 24 striking branches since late May 2022, announced that it had reached an agreement with the government.
“Yesterday both parties received a recommendation from the arbitrator, which they accepted. The union has agreed to present it to its approximately 230 members of CUPE 5454 with a view to renewing their collective bargaining agreement. He will recommend acceptance,” CUPE said.
“We have found a way out of the crisis that will finally provide the employees we represent with wage conditions that are worthy of a state-owned company,” said union consultant Daniel Morin happily.
No details are known about the content of the offer, which will initially be presented to union members on Sunday.
Since the start of the strike, managers have ensured the operation of SQDC branches. However, they have occasionally had to close during the absence or vacation of the last remaining employees, forcing the SQDC to maintain a calendar of closures on its website.
The SQDC has about 90 branches in Quebec, five years after it was founded following the legalization of cannabis in Canada in October 2018.