(Toronto) Hundreds of liquor stores in Ontario will reopen Tuesday, following a strike that shut down their doors in early July.
About 10,000 Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) workers returned Monday to prepare for the opening of nearly 700 stores after walking off the job on July 5.
In addition to retail stores reopening, the LCBO says there will be no more limits on online orders, but warns that delivery of web orders could take up to three weeks. Small bars and restaurants began to see their liquor supplies dwindle as the strike dragged on for two weeks.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents LCBO workers, said the labour dispute is largely over Premier Doug Ford’s plan to allow convenience and grocery stores to sell ready-to-drink cocktails, saying the increase in beverage sales would threaten their jobs.
The union won wage increases, 1,000 more permanent jobs for casual workers and no store closures during the three years of the agreement.