LCBO strike ends after deal reached
A two-week-long strike by workers at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has ended following an improved contract offer.
Workers at the government-controlled LCBO began strike action on 5 July after talks with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) broke down. Approximately 10,000 OPSEU employees have been on strike – the first in LCBO’s 97-year history.
The union’s demands include an expansion of public retail locations and in-house capacity for warehousing and logistics, as well as moving casual roles to permanent positions.
Over the weekend (20-21 July), the LCBO announced it had reached an agreement with OPSEU, with stores set to reopen tomorrow (23 July).
The OPSEU said the now-ratified deal includes ‘significant improvements’ from the LCBO’s last offer on 4 July – the day before the strike started. In the new contract, there is a guarantee of no store closures and a cap on the number of agency stores (similar to private liquor stores).
The OPSEU also noted a ‘shared commitment to a future in which the LCBO, and its revenues, continue to grow with Ontario’.
In addition to wage, severance and benefit improvements, the deal includes 1,000 new permanent part-time retail roles and 60 permanent full-time jobs in logistics.
“We went on strike to protect good jobs and public revenues, and to win more permanent jobs with benefits and guaranteed hours,” said Colleen MacLeod, bargaining team chair. “Our members stood strong. They held strong lines, they talked to their communities – and they won.
“In my 27 years at the LCBO, the employer has continuously casualised the workforce, so that people wouldn’t get guaranteed hours, benefits or any hope of permanent work. Permanent part-time nearly went extinct.
“I am beyond proud that we fought back and won these permanent jobs – it will improve the lives of workers and their families for many years to come.”
In a statement, the LCBO said: “We again thank the negotiating teams for LCBO and OPSEU, as well as the mediator, for their work in reaching an agreement that is fair for our unionised employees and helps the LCBO operate efficiently and effectively for Ontarians in a changing marketplace.”
The union also called Ontario premier Doug Ford’s plan for alcohol to be made more widely available as ‘bad news for the province’.
The Ontario government recently brought forward its plan to allow convenience stores to sell spirit-based ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages. The OPSEU has been a vocal critic of this plan and said Ford is seeking to “dismantle the LCBO and hand billions in public revenues over to the big-box billionaires”.
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