Granby Zoo management locks out employees after strike mandate

Management at Quebec's Granby Zoo says it has locked out about 130 employees who were due back at work today after a 10-day walkout and who had recently voted for an unlimited strike mandate.

The zoo says the lockout will ensure stability for the care of the animals and allows managers who are replacing employees to foresee what work needs to be done.

Paul Gosselin, president and CEO of Granby Zoo, says the union's strike mandate has made it impossible to operate the attraction site effectively because employees could walk out at any time.

The negotiations involve the collective agreement for a variety of staff including veterinary and animal care technicians, mechanics, carpenters, and some administrative workers.

Demands by union members, whose contract expired Dec. 31, include more job stability and improved measures to attract and retain staff.

Granby Zoo, located about 65 kilometres east of Montreal, has about 900,000 annual visitors and says that more than 25 per cent of its animals are classified as threatened species in the wild.

Last week, union members voted 91 per cent in favour of an unlimited strike mandate allowing them to walk out whenever they choose. The union held a first strike day on July 9 and a 10-day strike beginning July 20.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 29, 2024.