Montreal IKEA employees launch 10-day strike

CBC News

· Posted: May 03, 2025 3:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Employees astatine the IKEA store successful Montreal launched a 10-day onslaught connected Saturday implicit the employer's insufficient wage offers, their national said.

Workers successful Montreal person been without a declaration since January.

IKEA Montreal said the store remains open.

However, the pursuing departments are temporarily closed: 

• Småland
• Kitchen readying section (Plan and bid points in Boisbriand, Lachenaie and Vaudreuil stay open)
• Swedish restaurant
• Bistro
• Returns
• Click and collect service
• Delivery service

The Montreal union, affiliated with the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), says workers astatine the store gain little than those astatine akin workplaces and is truthful calling for compensation. The Syndicat d'IKEA de Montréal represents immoderate 450 employees successful positions ranging from the warehouse to the showroom and the kitchen.

It argues that the leader is not offering employees a wage indexed to inflation.

'It's truly an insult to us,' says national president

Elie Zetrenne, president of the Syndicat d'IKEA de Montréal, said that, connected April 23, IKEA projected a raise of 50 cents a twelvemonth for employees astatine the apical of the wage scale.

"It's truly an insult to us," helium said successful an interview. 

The national noted that for each wage levels, the leader has projected a wage summation of around 5 per cent over four years, connected average.

Currently, an IKEA worker successful Montreal tin gain up to $25.42 per hr astatine the apical of the wage scale, Zetrenne argued.

"What we asked for was a 14 per cent increase due to the fact that we're taking into relationship the outgo of surviving with gas, rising rents, groceries," said the national president.

"We privation our wages to scope around $30 implicit 3 to 4 years," helium added.

Zetrenne maintains that IKEA employees are asking for a rise that would let them to unrecorded better.

"The imaginativeness of IKEA Montreal, of IKEA successful general, is to amended the regular lives of arsenic galore radical arsenic possible. And a 50-cent summation does not amended the regular lives of its employees," Zetrenne said.

The IKEA store successful Montreal remained unfastened connected Saturday, but lone absorption unit were connected duty, Zetrenne said.

Alicia Carroll, a spokesperson for IKEA Canada, said successful a connection to CBC News that the employer was negotiating for a corporate bargaining statement with the national representing employees astatine the Montreal store.

"During this period, we purpose to support arsenic overmuch of our regular operations as possible, making indispensable changes to our services as required," Carroll said.

"We are committed to moving collaboratively with each parties progressive to scope a corporate agreement as soon arsenic possible. Our precedence remains supporting our co-workers during this time, and the continued work to our valued customers."

Founded successful Sweden, the concatenation is present headquartered successful the Netherlands and has 16 stores crossed Canada. Three are successful Quebec: Montreal, Boucherville and Quebec City.