Hotel Bonaventure workers in Montreal launch surprise 24-hour strike

Hotel Bonaventure employees launched a surprise 24-hour strike in Montreal on July 20, 2024. (Dominic Morissette)

Around 200 Hotel Bonaventure workers launched a surprise 24-hour strike as negotiations with management continue.

At issue for the workers are improved working conditions and wages, according to a news release from the CSN affiliated Federation du commerce (CSN-FC) union.

It is the second walkout as part of coordinated bargaining for the hotel workers' union in the hotel industry, which includes 30 Quebec hotels and around 3,500 employees across Quebec.

Queen Elizabeth Hotel workers went on strike for 24 hours earlier this week.

"Not a week goes by without hearing about the highly profitable summer in the hotel industry," said CSN-FC treasurer Michel Valiquette. "If the sector was able to get back on its feet so quickly after the pandemic, it's thanks to the efforts and professionalism of the workers. With this first strike day at the Bonaventure, we are showing that we are determined to reach good agreements at the bargaining tables."

The news release says that further work stoppages should be expected if negotiating progress does not happen quickly.

"Negotiations are moving too slowly in our hotel," said union vice president Donald Agostinho. "The workers want things to move faster. We need to find solutions to reduce the workload. We need to get good pay rises to keep up with inflation. We have a number of solutions to propose to attract and retain staff at the hotel. But the employer still has to listen to us!"

The hotel workers are asking for a 36 per cent wage increase over four years to match inflation, increases to the employer's contribution to the group insurance plan, reduction of overwork and other demands.