Dozens protest firing of longtime staff, union president amid negotiations

MONTREAL —
Quite a few dozen people today collected outdoors the Marriott Chateau Champlain Resort on Saturday, protesting versus the dismissal of union president and personnel of 32 decades Aida Goncalves.

The demonstrators collected on Sherbrooke St. West in front of the offices of Tidan, which owns the de la Gauchetiere lodge. They then marched to the resort web page itself.

Goncalves was suspended and then fire subsequent a union visibility action on July 8, according to the FC-CSN, with which the hotel’s union was affiliated.

“The aim was to attack the president and also the union, in all probability wishing individuals were heading to crash, but the reverse happened. Individuals stood up and supported the union president,” claimed FC treasurer Michel Valiquette. “We’ve occur again to the practices of the 1970s. It is a bit retrograde.”

Valiquette noted that Tidan experienced pulled a very similar tactic with yet another union president at a various Quebec hotel.

Through the July 8 event, Goncalves and union members briefly entered the hotel lobby to specific their displeasure with their employer, the union explained. The celebration was portion of negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreement.

The resort management claimed that Goncalves’ dismissal was because of to an assault, a demand the union denies, expressing no hurt was performed to the hotel.

Pursuing that protest, the lodge administration refused to negotiate with Goncalves present and she was banned from moving into the workplace.

The CSN submitted a ask for for a provisional purchase with the Administrative Labour Tribunal (TAT), which ruled in their favour.

In their determination, the TAT allowed Goncalves to participate in negotiating session and also purchased the resort to give her obtain to the place of work and union office environment.

“This is the 1st time I have been fired for a mobilization exercise. I’ve been with the union for over 20 several years. In my viewpoint, it was a technique to get me absent from the negotiation table and my office since which is where by I’m heading to mobilize the individuals,” she explained.

Negotiations are scheduled to resume on Aug. 11 with a mediator current. Procedures are underway to reinstate Goncalves in her job.

Saturday’s demonstration was also applied to denounce lodge management’s mind-set in direction of operating disorders and respect for the collective agreement, which expired a yr in the past. The union denounced in unique the use of subcontractors considering the fact that renovations finished in the spring. The CSN mentioned management has held contractors on board rather of bringing back again employees.

“In a lodge with 220 employees ahead of the pandemic, there are at the moment in between 15 and 25 people operating though occupancy costs are on the increase. It’s inexplicable,” mentioned Valiquette, who also reported Tidan has gained hundreds of thousands in authorities grants during the pandemic even though “behaving like a thug.”

The union is inquiring for income raises ranging from 2.1 per cent to 4 for every cent and an improvement to team insurance policies.

Tidan and lodge management did not reply to requests for remark.  

— This report by The Canadian Press was very first revealed in French on Aug. 7, 2021.