SAQ employees 'denouncing' plans for new automated alcohol warehouse in Montreal
The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) plans to invest $45.8 million to expand its Montreal distribution centre. Construction expansion and installation of automated single order picking equipment will boost operational efficiency. This infrastructure investment, the first of its scale in in more than two decades at the SAQ, is a key initiative of the company's new strategic plan.
The new automated fulfillment system will enable the SAQ to:
group all single-unit picking activities in a single centre;
expand the offering on SAQ.COM and to permit holders by making nearly 20,000 products available, including private import products by the unit;
offer next-day delivery of online orders;
increase warehouse performance times and efficiency, in particular by installing automated single order picking equipment; and
support the expected growth in sales volume in all the SAQ's customer segments.
““This investment is part of a structured modernization plan that will allow us to continue meeting customers’ expectations and adapt to the changing retail landscape. It represents a significant upgrade of our supply chain and will give us the capacity we need to transform our operations and the experience we want to deliver to customers, including permit holders.”
In a press release Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) employees are denouncing the “Amazon-like” vision of the state institution, which plans to deploy a new automated ordering system at its distribution center in Montreal.
“We don’t want to work for Amazon Quebec alcohol! Lisa Courtemanche, president of the SAQ Office and Store Employees Association (SEMB-SAQ-CSN) said in a press release.
On May 5, employees of the SAQ.com platform learned that they would be moving to the main warehouse of the Montreal Distribution Center and that they would change their union accreditation.
The union believes that this restructuring, the first repercussions of which will appear from September, may eventually lead to the loss of “good jobs in Quebec”.
“There is no job security for all 53 permanent employees and even fewer than 150 part-time employees. Unacceptable!” Ms. Courtemanche lamented.
According to our information, part-time employees may be hit the hardest. Many of them can be assigned to other tasks, especially in stores.
The proposal was rejected
The union says it rejected SAQ’s initial proposal, which “would have only allowed a portion of 200 workers to be moved to the new facilities”.
The president is proposing instead a “decentralization of operations” approach, which would avoid bringing in bottles from Montreal that are already available in the regions. This would reduce the environmental impacts on freight transportation.
“We want to be consulted: we have solutions that will allow for greater human development,” said Ms. Cortemanche.
No job losses
Last year, as part of its 2021-2023 modernization plan, SAQ announced a $45.8 million investment, the largest in two decades, to expand and modernize its facilities in the capital.
This project should eventually make it possible to increase the product offer online to 20,000 and allow delivery within one day. On Friday, there were 2,685 kinds of wine and spirits SAQ.com.
The state-owned company asserts that due to the labor shortage, it will need all affected employees to prepare orders and serve customers in its branches.
“Our unit’s picking activities will be standardized without job losses,” company spokesperson Clemence Beaulieu-Gendron responded.
“Our online ordering site is fully operational and does not allow us to respond to the growth in online sales,” she added.
