“We have a new tentative agreement with our 6,700 unionized employees,” said LCBO spokeswoman Heather MacGregor at a press conference. “The ratification process will now be under way. The LCBO board has to approve, as does the government, but we’re happy that a strike has been averted.”
Although details of the agreement won't be released until both the board of directors and the workers vote on whether to accept it or not, both parties agreed that the deal seems fair to both sides.
“I think the team was able to strike a very fair balance for everybody and our team is unanimously recommending it to the membership for ratification,” said Ontario Public Service Employees Union president Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
It is welcome news for Ontario liquor store workers and tipplers across the province who were anxiously waiting for the marathon talks to conclude. With the assistance of a mediator, the two sides had been negotiating all day under a news blackout.
“We’re very satisfied,” said Denise Davis, chair of the bargaining team for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). “We had some modest demands from our members and we feel that we have negotiated a fair and decent settlement with those interests at the table.”
The fact talks were continuing without a break was cause for optimism there may be a settlement, said Craig Hadley, of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
If Liquor Control Board of Ontario employees had walked out, it would have been the first strike in the organization’s 87-year history.
A major issue in the talks, according to the union, is increased use of part-timers. The union said that between 2008 and 2012 the LCBO added 981 part-time positions paying an average of $26,000 a year.
Earlier Thursday, Finance Minister Charles Sousa expressed confidence that Ontarians can still drink in the Victoria Day long weekend. Sousa said he was “hopeful both parties can come to an agreement that both the LCBO and the (7,000) employees will be comfortable with.”
Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Richard J. Brennan Paul Moloney and Sean Tepper
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