Employees of the Technicolor Laboratory in Mirabel, Quebec (members of CUPE) are in shock. On the morning of July 19, their employer announced the immediate closure of the site and the dismissal of 106 union members. Add to that the 41 workers laid off last week.
“Last November, CUPE negotiated in good faith, a collective agreement that was intended to deal with the gradual decline of the laboratory over a five-year period. Last week, just eight months later, we learned of the dismissal of 41 of our members, and now, in a surprise move, the remaining 106 have been dismissed. We are shocked at this pointlessly brutal handling of the situation. Today, the Mirabel region is bearing the brunt of the agreement between Technicolor and Deluxe, who share the world market between them,” according to Denis Bolduc, secretary general of CUPE-Québec.
“We are looking into the matter to determine whether the layoffs are in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations. We want to ensure that Technicolor actually has the right to subcontract our work to Deluxe. We will make certain that the employees receive the severance pay they deserve as stated in the collective agreement,” added Jean Lussier, president of CUPE Local 4537.