Workers at Quebec chicken processing plant vote to end strike

Striking workers at theExceldor chicken processing plant inSaint-Anselme, Quebec voted to accept an agreement with their employeron Saturday.

The employees had been on strike since May 23, which resulted in the euthanasia of more than a million chickens in Quebec.

The agreement was put forward by a mediator from the province's Labour Ministry. Sixty-six per cent of the 550 workers voted to accept it.

The collective agreement will be retroactive to August 1, 2020.

Employees will be entitled to wage increases of 19.75 per centdistributed over five years.

In a press release, the management of the plant expressed its satisfaction and outlined how the resumption of activities will take place.

"Now that the labour dispute is over, the company wishes to assure the union of its full collaboration in order to promote a harmonious return to work. However, it should be noted that the restart of the Saint-Anselme plant will take several days before reaching full production capacity."