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Workers at Rona stores in Newfoundland were caught off guard Sunday night when management told them that their stores would close in January, and that they would all lose their jobs, said an official representing their union.
"It was a shock, a terrible shock and a bad timing – two months before Christmas," said Debbie Romero, Secretary-Treasurer of the Atlantic Regional Carpenters and Allied Workers' Council of Atlantic Canada, who represents workers at six Rona stores across Canada. Newfoundland.
More than 250 of their members will lose their jobs, she said.
Some Rona employees discovered that they were losing their jobs at hastily summoned meetings on Sunday night.
On Sunday, Rona employees were called to meetings and informed that the Newfoundland stores would close on January 27, 2019. They were not notified of the content of the meeting and received a letter of departure upon their arrival, she said.
The union asks Rona's workers not to sign any documents.
"We are not very happy with the way the message was sent and we will do everything possible to ensure that the rights of these employees [are represented] maximum, "she told the St. John's Morning Show Monday morning.
She added that the news shocked the union as much as the workers.
"We just learned that there would be a meeting at 6 pm and that it was mandatory," she said.
The company closes six stores on the island, at Conception Bay, Goulds and Bay Roberts, as well as locations on Topsail, O 'Leary and Torbay Roads.
Eric Fitzpatrick, owner of the Rona store in Wabush, Labrador, said his company was not affected by this decision as it was independent.
She added that some employees of the affected Rona stores had been working in these stores for decades. Some are husband and wife teams, which means that store closures will wipe out the incomes of households and entire families.
"It's a devastating news and we did not expect it at all."
Wasted income for whole households
Some longtime employees started working in the stores while they were owned by Chester Dawe Ltd., a Newfoundland-based company. Rona bought Chester Dawe in 2006.
In 2016, the US home improvement chain Lowe & # 39; s bought Rona, headquartered in Quebec, as part of a transaction valued at $ 3.2 billion.
Romero said that a Lowe management team has announced the bad news on Sunday.
She added that the workers had no indication as to why the company was shutting down the stores, and the union asked for immediate meetings with Lowe's to discuss the decision and the rights of the workers. employees.
"We will ensure that their rights are fully respected."
In a press release, Lowe's announced the closing of "some underperforming store locations as part of its ongoing strategic re-evaluation".
The company plans to focus on its most profitable stores and will close 20 stores in the United States, as well as 31 Canadian stores and other sites.
With files from the St. John's Morning Show
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