Canada
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As SQDC strike drags on, workers and management head to conciliation

The union at 22 outlets wants wage parity with staff at the SAQ and is seeking a minimum of $20 an hour for the cannabis workers.

Author of the article:

La Presse Canadienne

La Presse Canadienne

Lia Lévesque

People walk by an SQDC (Société québécoise du cannabis) store in Montreal.
People walk by an SQDC (Société québécoise du cannabis) store in Montreal. Photo by Graham Hughes /The Canadian Press files

The Société québécoise du cannabis and the Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique are scheduled to attend a meeting with a conciliator Friday as the strike that has hit certain SQDC outlets enters its fifth month.

The walkout affects 22 outlets and was launched May 28 after a series of day-long strikes.

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Wages are at the heart of the contract dispute. Entry-level wages at the government-run cannabis stores stand at $17.12 an hour.

The union says it wants wage parity with workers at the Société des alcools du Québec and is seeking a minimum of $20 an hour.

Non-monetary issues have been settled. Employees in about half of the SQDC’s outlets are unionized.