2023-07-17 23:53:00
The countdown continues for foreign workers at the Olymel plant in Vallée-Jonction, three months after the announcement of its closure. While several foreign workers have already made the decision to leave the region, some denounce a lack of information on the part of the company.
Hans Jonathan Berard is one of 123 foreign workers at the Olymel plant in Vallée Jonction.
Of these, no fewer than 87 workers have already decided to join the ranks of other Olymel plants in Quebec. For the native of Mauritius, the reason is simple. Some workers were not aware of their real options before making the decision to leave their adopted region.
“There are people who have signed [leur transfert] under the unique stress of pressure. […] Some came back to see me to find out if it was too late to cancel their signed agreement,” said Hans Jonathan Berard.
By being recruited by Olymel, the workers accepted a work contract binding them with the Vallée-Jonction plant, a so-called closed contract. What some did not know was that they had the option of signing a new contract to bind them to another company in the region, if they so desired. So they could have avoided another move.
For the federal MP for Beauce Richard Lehoux, the situation could have been much less serious for the region with more transparency on the part of Olymel. Especially since the unemployment rate there is less than 2%.
“As an employer, I understand that Olymel has paid costs and time to bring in these workers, except that it is a company decision to close this plant! I find it unfortunate that the workers find themselves at odds in this situation,” he said.
However, the company is convinced that the workers made their decision in full knowledge of the facts.
“That’s our claim. We have taken steps to raise worker awareness. […] We held numerous meetings where it was possible for them to ask their questions in addition to meeting with members of the federal and provincial government authorities,” said the first vice-president at Olymel, Paul Beauchamp.
The final closure of the Olymel Vallée-Jonction plant is scheduled for December 22.
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