Judge Orders to Cease Using Scabs
MONTREAL, Nov. 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Complexe Desjardins must immediately cease using the services of at least 11 strikebreakers, as ordered by a Tribunal administratif du travail judge on Friday, November 19. The judge found that the employer violated section 109.1 of the Labour Code, which prohibits the use of strikebreakers.
Under the standing order, the employer can no longer use personnel hired after June 26, 2020, to do the work normally performed by its striking staff, nor the personnel of other employers, such as subcontractors.
DoubleTree had decided to temporarily close on the same day that the union and employer met before the Tribunal administratif du travail following an inspection report on the use of strikebreakers. For the Fédération du commerce (FC–CSN), this ad hoc closure is directly related to the employer's inability to operate the hotel without using scabs. The hotel remains closed.
DoubleTree employees have been on strike since September 2. They are opposed to the rollbacks the employer wants to impose on them. They are calling for a settlement similar to the one reached by 12 other CSN-unionized hotels in coordinated negotiations.
"This is a great victory for workers," said FC–CSN President Alexandre Laviolette. "We fully understand that DoubleTree is anxious to start welcoming its guests again and resume its business. Our members are very much looking forward to getting back to work and reconnecting with their clientele. But negotiations come first. These will resume on November 24 in the presence of a conciliator. There's no reason why we can't reach an agreement here as we did in 12 other hotels over the last few weeks."
"We'll keep standing tall," added Claude Harrison, President of the CSN union representing DoubleTree employees. "It goes without saying that than two months on strike isn't easy for anyone. But we can't accept that the employer can simply get rid of those it no longer wants, as it is clearly asking us to do. On the contrary, in light of the current labour shortage, DoubleTree should have every interest in treating its staff well."
SOURCE Fédération du commerce (FC-CSN)
Jean-Pierre Larche, Information-CSN, 514-605-0757 or [email protected]
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