The union says other days of strike could follow during the festival next week if they don’t see progress on contract negotiations.
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Unionized employees of the Fantasia film festival, whose next edition begins on July 18, went on a 24-hour strike on Thursday.
The Syndicat des employé-es de l’événementiel-CSN’s Fantasia local said Wednesday that other days of strike could follow next week if talks for their first collective agreement do not progress satisfactorily.
The union said it would like to reach an agreement in principle “as soon as possible” to improve working conditions and prevent the strike from continuing during the festival.
Members voted unanimously for a five-day strike to take place at the appropriate time in June.
Justine Smith, who is part of the union’s negotiating committee, said in a statement that Fantasia wanted to “maintain freelance status” for this year’s festival, even though members have been unionized since September.
“The employer’s lack of preparation for almost a year at the negotiating table is extremely disappointing,” she said.
Two other festival unions represented by the CSN, that of La Fondation Québec Cinéma and that of the Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC), have concluded their first collective agreements.