Hotel workers across Quebec walk off the job

CTV Montreal: Hotel strike Hotel workers hold a protest at Place du Canada today.

Hotel workers across the province went on strike today because they say contract negotiations are taking too long. In Montreal, workers demonstrated in Place du Canada.

The strike affects 10 hotels in Montreal and Quebec City where workers have been without a contract since the end of June.

The union is asking for increased salaries as well as better holiday and severance pay. Bonaventure Hotel union president Michel Pare says hotel employees are the driving force behind the increase in tourism in Quebec.

“We see the rates that the people are paying,” Pare says.  “In this case it’s like the Grand Prix. The hoteliers are charging twice the price or one and a half times the price because of the occupancy. They gain a lot but we continue with the same salary. “

Two hotels recently reached last minute deals with the union, including Montreal’s Ritz Carleton. Employees there received a 13 per cent pay raise over four years.

10 hotels affected by today’s strike:

Montreal

Quebec City