Union heads to Quebec labour tribunal after investigation shows Metro broke anti-scab rules

A union representing 550 striking Metro workers is taking their employer to Quebec’s labour tribunal after investigators found the grocer hired illegal replacement workers.

The union includes office, transport and warehouse workers.

Under Quebec’s labour code, employers are forbidden to hire strikebreakers — commonly called scabs — when workers walk off the job.

Last month, two Ministry of Labour investigators reported Metro had used strikebreakers to replace picketing workers at its Laval fruit and vegetable distribution centre. Workers there, as well as transport and office workers, have been on strike since March 30.

The investigators’ report, signed April 22, found that eight Metro managers had violated anti-scab rules.

“Workers are angry. That Metro uses scabs is simply unacceptable,” Matthieu Lafontaine, the union’s president, said in a statement. “While Metro flouts the law, advances at the negotiation table remain minimal.”

The complaint, submitted May 6 to the Tribunal administratif du travail, asks the tribunal to order Metro stop using strikebreakers. The CSN-affiliated union is also seeking $5,000 in moral damages and an additional $5,000 in punitive damages.

In its own statement, Metro said it had “taken note of the complaint filed by the union,” but denied resorting to strikebreakers.

“Since the beginning of the conflict, Metro has fully complied with the Labour Code and has implemented measures to continue meeting the needs of its customers across Quebec, in accordance with applicable framework,” the statement said.

“Despite the Ministry of Labour’s very clear conclusions, Metro continues to claim that it respects the laws,” CSN president Caroline Senneville said in the union’s statement. “We know that’s false and we’ll prove it in front of the tribunal,” she said.

The Laval distribution centre is Metro’s only fruit and vegetable warehouse in Quebec. Workers there supply the chain’s 300 Quebec locations, including Metro, Super C and Marché Richelieu brands.

Jack Wilson

I've reported for The Gazette since 2024. I love covering a good politics story, but any day I tell Montrealers something new about the world around them feels like a good one. Got a tip for me? Email me at [email protected]

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