Molson workers at Longueuil plant declare general strike

Close to 420 unionized workers at the Molson Coors plant in Longueuil, Que., declared a general unlimited strike on Friday after turning down the company's wage offer.

It follows a strike vote last Sunday, when 99 per cent of workers at an assembly of 320 voted for strike action.

The union saidthe wage increase being offered by the employer is below inflation. The company is also trying to impose obligatory overtime, more work on the weekend, and a new layoff system that would not take seniority into account, the unionsaid.

"The members are united and determined to be respected," said Local 1999 president Eric Picotte in a press release last Sunday.

"We know the start date of this labour dispute, but I can't say when it will end."

The union says Molson has been unwilling to meet its demands since negotiations began on Jan. 10. The union had previously said it was willing to return to the negotiating table provided the company shows a willingness to resolve long-standing problems at the plant.

The working conditions at the plant in Saint-Hubert have been deteriorating since Molson's merger with the US-based Coors in 2005, and also worsened following a merger with Miller a few years prior, Picotte said.

Molson's net sales rose from $9.7 billion in 2020 to $10.3 billion in 2021, an increase of 6.5%. Sales also rose 14.2% to $2.6 billion US dollars in the last quarter of the year, according to the union.

"In short, Molson's 'family' approach is truly a thing of the past," the union added.

A Molson Coors spokesperson told Radio-Canada it is disappointed workers walked off the job before management had made their final offer, adding that the company is offering a "more than competitive wage" and has "a history of providing well-paying jobs."

The company has turned to a contingency plan as it works to meet consumer demand, Molson Coors added, without specifying what that plan entails.