Croupiers at the Montreal Casino launched an unlimited general strike Saturday, citing salary cutbacks for new employees and poor working conditions that are leading to physical injuries as the main issues.

The strike began at 9 a.m. Saturday and will continue until negotiations with Loto-Québec are resolved, union representative Jean-Pierre Proulx said.

Workers staged a picket line in the afternoon, marching from the ÃŽle-Ste-Hélène métro station to the casino.

“One in two of our employees suffers physical injuries due to the nature of the work, which includes dealing nearly 10,000 cards a day, five to six days a week,” Proulx said. “After 15 years on the job, that starts to add up,” resulting in tendinitis and other repetitive strain injuries, he said.