SAQ union recommends employees accept deal with 19.7 per cent pay raise over 6 years

An SAQ outlet in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, is covered with union stickers as employees of the Société des alcools du Québec take part in a two-day strike on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

The general council of the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) employees' union is recommending that its members accept the agreement in principle reached with their employer last Monday.

The 5,000 union members will be asked to vote on the matter next week.

A document sent by the union to its members on Friday stated that the agreement provides for a 19.7 per cent pay raise over the next six years. If adopted, the agreement will also facilitate access to the group insurance plan for part-time employees and improve access to promotional positions.

The document also explained that the agreement in principle will prevent the employer from abolishing more than 30 positions per year. The agreement was reached last Monday to renew the collective agreement between the SAQ and the Syndicat des employés des magasins et bureaux.

Union members have been without a collective agreement since March 2023. Since then, five days of strikes have been held to put pressure on management.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 29, 2024.