MONTREAL – As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be drawing to a close, Quebec Steelworkers are asking the province’s Labour minister to respond to widespread demands for pandemic pay for security guards.
“Security guards have had the delicate task of enforcing changing health directives, sometimes risking their health and the health of their families,” said Steelworkers’ Quebec Director Dominic Lemieux.
“Calls for a pandemic premium for security guards have gone unanswered for more than 10 weeks now. The government, which has the power to order security companies to implement such a premium, must make its decision,” Lemieux said.
The decree system for collective agreements in some sectors of the Quebec economy, including the security sector, allows the government to mandate industry-wide conditions – such as pandemic pay – for all workers.
The Steelworkers union initially requested that security companies, which have enjoyed increased business and revenues during the pandemic, voluntarily provide a wage premium to their front-line employees.
In early June, a petition advocating for pandemic pay for security guards, signed by more than 5,200 Quebecers, was submitted to the National Assembly.
“We know that the security companies have been able to obtain more lucrative contracts because of the pandemic,” noted Patrick Pellerin, President of Steelworkers Local 8922, which represents security guards across Quebec.
“The Quebec government has the power to demand that these increased revenues be shared with security guards who are on the front line, providing essential services in difficult circumstances. The least the government can do is act on our request,” Pellerin said.
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