Manitoba liquor workers continue to strike amid contract dispute

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/07/2023 (822 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Liquor store workers in Winnipeg and Brandon continued to strike Sunday, while their union and employer were due to hold further talks with a conciliator.

Employees at rural and northern Liquor Marts were scheduled to work, but their duties would be limited, the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union said.

Liquor Marts in Winnipeg and Brandon were closed, while rural stores were open with limited inventory, according to Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.

The MGEU said strike action carried on over the weekend because there had been no movement toward a “fair and reasonable” wage increase, and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries continued to use replacement workers at a distribution centre.

Staff walked picket lines outside five stores in Winnipeg and one in Brandon.

The 1,400 MGEU liquor workers have been without a contract since March 2022.

Their job action began with a one-day walkout July 19.

The union had asked for wage raises in line with those given to Manitoba MLAs and Premier Heather Stefanson, starting at 3.3 per cent in 2023 and 3.6 per cent in 2024 and 2025.

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The MGEU previously said it was given a “final” offer of two per cent per year over four years, with income bumps for some staff to ensure they are in line with provincial minimum-wage increases.

Union officials said MLL’s offer fails to keep up with the rising cost of living and won’t help to retain employees.

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.