Deploring the indefinite strike launched the day before, Le Massif de Charlevoix claimed on Saturday that it had submitted two offers to the union that had not been presented to its members.
In a press release issued Saturday morning, the employer stated that it did not understand the reasons that led to the launch of an indefinite strike a few days after the collective agreement expired on Dec. 31.
“We are in a normal negotiation period, and the decision to use an indefinite strike at the beginning of the process seems particularly hasty,” said Charles-Antoine Choquette, executive vice president of Groupe Le Massif.
Choquette also pointed out that the two offers submitted by the employer “have not been presented to the employees by the union to date.”
According to him, these offers meet the needs of employees while remaining “consistent with the reality of the recreational tourism market and the imperatives of sound management.”
The salary issue is one of the main sticking points between the two parties.
In a previous press release sent on Dec. 30, Groupe Le Massif indicated that two comprehensive offers had been made to move forward on the monetary aspect. According to them, only one counteroffer had been made on Dec. 28.
The employer had mentioned that the union’s counteroffer included wage increase demands that “represent an overbid compared to market rates.”
It also pointed out that Le Massif had raised certain wages above market rates. It assured that this had been done “proactively and voluntarily.”
In its statement on Saturday, Groupe Le Massif explained that it had “voluntarily increased the agreed hourly wage by $1 in 2022” for employees, resulting in an average wage increase of 11.74 per cent.
For its part, the Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs du Massif, affiliated with the CSN, told The Canadian Press that it did not wish to comment and that its goal was to return to the bargaining table.
Unionized employees voted Friday in favor of an unlimited general strike mandate, which was supported by 95 per cent of the 111 members who voted at the meeting.
In addition to the wage issue, the union, which represents some 300 mountain employees, also has demands regarding subcontracting, sick leave, safety, and vacations.
The ski resort remained closed on Saturday, Le Massif confirmed in a comment under one of its Facebook posts.
This suspension of activities concerns ski lifts, slopes, sledding, food services, and the shop.
The ski resort does not plan to resume operations until “the strike action is over.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
