(Toronto) The union representing about 10,000 striking workers at Ontario’s largest alcohol retailer has announced it will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday.
Unionized workers at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) walked off the job July 5 in a dispute their union says is largely over Premier Doug Ford’s plan to allow convenience and grocery stores to sell ready-to-drink cocktails.
The LCBO said its last contract offer included improvements to wages, benefits and job security, but the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) announced a strike instead of responding to the offer.
The LCBO has said public policy is off the table, but OPSEU is concerned that increasing sales of ready-to-drink beverages could put their jobs at risk, given that previous phases of Ontario’s alcohol market expansion kept spirits sales exclusively at the Crown corporation’s stores.
In the midst of the labour dispute, the Ford government released an interactive online map showing consumers where to buy alcohol during the strike, and sped up the delivery time of cocktails to grocery stores.
The union announced in a statement Tuesday evening that it will present a plan to the bargaining table Wednesday to protect jobs and public revenue generated by LCBO sales.
“When the team presents its plan, we will see if LCBO management is truly working to achieve these common interests for workers and all Ontarians,” the union warned.
Mr. Ford firmly ruled out a reversal of the ready-to-drink expansion, saying the ship was already “halfway across Lake Ontario.”