QUEBEC CITY -- Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet wants an arbitrator to intervene and put an end to the conflict between Olymel and the workers of the Vallée-Jonction plant.
The two parties have until 5 p.m. Thursday to accept the minister's proposal.
“When the minister defers to arbitration, it has the effect of ending the conflict," he explained. “So we can end the labour dispute, we can review the return of protocol to work and the strike is over.”
Boulet said he believes that arbitration is the best approach to resolving a dispute that has gone on for "too long.”
The strike began on April 28. The issues in the dispute were wages, work hours and the length of the collective agreement.
“The ball is in the union's court” and they will have to make their intentions known to the minister by 5 p.m.
Boulet said the employer would agree to arbitration and that the CSN-affiliated union is "in the process of reflection" and would make its decision known "as soon as possible.”
The union did not provide immediate reaction.
In a news briefing, Paul Beauchamp, Olymel's senior vice-president, confirmed that the company accepted the arbitration proposal: "Let's face it, this is the best way to break the impasse."
On Tuesday, Olymel presented an ultimatum to the workers, saying it would abolish the evening shift, or 500 positions, if an agreement was not reached by Sunday evening. The layoffs will not take place "as long as the union agrees to the arbitration process," Beauchamp said.
The Olymel executive denied that he had used threats to achieve his goals. “We can't afford to bluff. We've learned that over the years. Sometimes you make decisions and they're tough calls.”
The union has a different view of events: "This is not the first time that Olymel has decided to threaten its employees with closure and has tried to divide the union members by raising fears of job cuts," said Martin Maurice, president of the workers' union. 'It's been more than 50 years that.”
-- This is a developing story that will be updated.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 26, 2021.
