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Press Releases
For Immediate Release
December 11, 2008 |
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Montréal, 11 December 2008 – Today the Québec Council of UNITE HERE union (Québec Federation of Labour) launched its campaign against clothing retailer Zara. Santa Claus and UNITE HERE supporters were on Montreal’s busy Ste Catherine Street today to let holiday shoppers know that Zara Canada has been naughty this year. They were informing the public about Zara's behaviour in response to a union campaign conducted by store employees in Montreal.
Since employees at the Zara store in downtown Montreal joined labour union UNITE HERE in 2007, instead of respecting employees' right to join a union, ZARA has engaged in conduct which may have violated the Québec Labour Code. This has included demoting two employees who led a union drive at ZARA's downtown Montreal store, firing four employees who supported the union at ZARA's Rockland Mall store, and holding anti-union meetings at three Montreal stores, in one case telling employees that joining a union is "treason" against the company. “We are determined to ensure that Zara respects its employees’ right to join a uinon and to negotiate decent working conditions,” said Lina Aristeo, Director of the Québec Council of UNITE HERE and a Vice President of the Québec Federation of Labour.
The union has been negotiating with Zara Canada for a year, but the offers made by Zara at the numerous negotiation sessions have brought the proceedings to an impasse. Negotiations will now be overseen be an arbitrator appointed by the Québec Ministry of Labour. Ms. Aristeo denounced the company’s attitude towards the negotiations: “We believe that Zara has demonstrated a complete lack of respect towards its workers. The company must negotiate in good faith.”
St. Nick’s visit will mark the beginning of UNITE HERE’s international campaign to ensure that Zara workers get the respect they deserve and to convince Zara Canada to negotiate in good faith with workers who have been waiting a year for their first union contract.
UNITE HERE represents 50 000 workers in the apparel, textile, hotel, and restaurant industries across Canada and Quebec.
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