Dollarama employees demand health before profits at protest

Dollarama workers hold up signs during a protest calling for better pay and working conditions in Montreal, Saturday, June 13, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL — Dollarama employees and their supporters demonstrated Saturday in Montreal to demand better health and safety measures in the fight against COVID-19.

Behind the walls of its warehouses and in its distribution centre, the Quebec retailer is content with the bare minimum and sometimes even violates the law, alleged demonstration organizer Mostafa Henaway, of the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC).

Henaway explained that physical distancing is almost impossible to respect in the distribution centre where nearly 1,000 workers work side-by-side. Employees are constantly on the move, moving boxes, and there is only one rest room, he said.

Protesters deplore the fact that “in its haste to make a profit” Dollarama completely ignored the health risks during the first weeks of the pandemic.

“The company has prioritized money, leaving aside the health and safety of its workers,” the IWC wrote in a statement.

The retailer was designated an essential service at the start of the pandemic, which enabled it to exceed analysts' expectations and make a profit of nearly $86 million in the first quarter, according to data released this week at the general shareholders meeting.

According to the protesters, Dollarama should continue to pay its workers the $3-an-hour premium when the pandemic is over.

DISMISSALS

Several employees who complained about working conditions during the COVID-19 crisis were dismissed outright, protesters say, so that a climate of fear prevails in the company's facilities.

Aines Charles is one of them who, despite his 10 years of service, is said to have been dismissed after having indicated to a supervisor that a number of his colleagues had contracted COVID-19. Management then asked the employment agency, which employed him, to terminate his employment.

Another was also reportedly removed from the ranks of the company for asking for more protective measures.

“I was called to the office the same day and they terminated my contract after three years of work,” the statement recounted.

Employees feel that their employer should hire them directly, rather than recruiting them through placement agencies.

FALSE ALLEGATIONS

Dollarama declined a Canadian Press interview request.

In a statement sent by email, the company claimed to have taken “all necessary measures” to protect its employees and that the organizers are only making “allegations” which are “false.”

The retailer even doubts that it is its employees who are participating in the demonstration.

“We have not received any direct communication to the effect that agency workers are dissatisfied with their conditions in our establishments,” wrote spokesperson Lyla Radmanovich.

The Canadian Press has however confirmed that employees of the company were among the demonstrators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2020.