SAQ strike: Employees walk off the job in surprise labour action [Video]

If you were hoping to buy a bottle of Pinot Grigio to kick off the weekend in Quebec, you’re not going to be happy.

Workers at the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) walked off the job at 2:30 p.m. Friday and launched a surprise strike.

Employees have been striking to denounce their employer’s wage proposal during ongoing negotiations. The collective agreement for SAQ employees expired on March 31, 2023.

On Thursday, the Syndicat des employés des magasins et de bureaux de la SAQ (SEMB), affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), asked its roughly 5,000 store and office employees not to cross the picket line for a one-day strike.

In a message posted on its Facebook page, the union said Friday’s strike is a “reminder to the employer: we still have several days of strike action left in our pockets. It’s up to them if we don’t need …