Preparation for the Formula 1 Canadian GP has taken an unexpected turn off the track. Workers from nightclubs and massage parlors in Montreal are reportedly organizing a strike precisely during the race weekend, one of the busiest times of the year for the city.
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This mobilization aims primarily to pressure for better working conditions and formal recognition as employees. According to the information released, the professionals demand access to the same labor protections offered to employees in other sectors.
According to Montreal Magazine, the strike is scheduled to take place on May 23, coinciding with the Formula 1 schedule in the Canadian city. Some exotic dancers and strippers intend to refuse to work during the event weekend to increase pressure on the establishments.
The report points out that many of these professionals in Montreal do not receive a fixed salary. Income mainly depends on tips, while some still have to pay service fees to bars using the money earned during their shifts.
Céleste Ivy, a dancer in Montreal and member of the Comité autonome du travail du sexe (CATS), told The Gazette that the professionals are vulnerable because they are not formally recognized as employees. According to her, this prevents access to basic rights guaranteed in other work areas.
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“This happens to all workers every year when we come home in the red,” Ivy said. “Since we are not salaried employees, we do not have access to the protections that other workers normally have,” she said.
Francine Tremblay, who has worked in the industry and currently works as a lecturer at Concordia University, believes that a strike during the Formula 1 weekend would cause a strong financial impact on the establishments. For her, bar owners would ‘panic’ if the professionals actually go on strike during the event.
According to Tremblay, the Canadian GP period represents one of the most profitable times of the year for this type of business in Montreal. With the city receiving tourists and Formula 1 fans from various parts of the world, the movement usually increases significantly throughout the race weekend.
