MBLL to close seven more liquor stores amid wage dispute
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/08/2023 (813 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
On Sunday afternoon, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) announced that seven additional liquor stores will close until further notice, starting Monday 7 a.m.
In addition to the closures already announced, stores in Carman, Fort Garry, Morden, Park West, Portage La Prairie East, Swan River and Tuxedo Park Shopping Centre will remain closed indefinitely, the Crown corporation said in a media release.
The closures come amid a wage dispute between MBLL and the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU). The union is demanding a 3.3 per cent wage increase this year and a 3.4 per cent increase in 2024.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) announced Sunday that seven additional liquor stores will close until further notice, starting Monday 7 a.m.
An MBLL spokesperson who requested to be unnamed told the Free Press that a total of 24 out of the 63 stores in Manitoba will be closed on Monday. In Winnipeg, 17 stores will be closed and 19 will remain open.
“We cannot get enough product to the stores and on the shelves because of the work stoppage,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that distribution centre workers are still on strike, making it “very difficult to replenish the store”. The MBLL previously hired replacement staff to work in the distribution centre while its regular workers were on strike.
Per the MGEU’s latest bargaining update, striking Liquor Mart workers are not on picket lines for the long weekend but are set to return on Tuesday after a Monday evening meeting. The MGEU has advised those scheduled to work this weekend to report to work but to “continue to restrict receiving and stocking duties”.
In a statement responding to the Monday closures sent out late Sunday afternoon, MGEU president Kyle Ross said the MBLL is a “very profitable corporation” that can afford to pay workers fairer wages.
“Our members are striking to achieve a fair and reasonable wage increase that keeps up with the rising cost of living,” Ross said. “Legislation that forced liquor workers to take annual wage increases of 0 per cent, 0 per cent, 0.75 per cent, and 1 per cent in their last contract has really impacted these members’ ability to make ends meet.”
cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca
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History
Updated on Sunday, August 6, 2023 4:22 PM CDT: Adds statement from MGEU president Kyle Ross