The tentative agreement between LCBO workers and their employer is on hold, as the Crown corporation announced plans to file an unfair labour practice complaint against the union.
Both sides announced a tentative agreement had been reached on Friday morning to end a historic two-week strike.
But by Friday afternoon, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) said the LCBO was refusing to sign a return-to-work protocol that would see workers return to the job on Monday.
“A return-to-work protocol is necessary for workers to go back to work in the event of a strike,” union representative Katie Arnup said at a news conference. “Without that document signed, we do not have a deal. The strike continues.”
Less than an hour later, the LCBO released a statement saying the union had introduced a new set of demands “that should have been dealt with at the bargaining table” after a tentative deal was reached.
“To introduce a new set of demands after reaching a tentative agreement amounts to bad faith bargaining,” the statement said.
The LCBO said it is planning to file an unfair labour practice complaint “in short order.”
Union engaged in standard negotiating: president
The president of OPSEU responded to the LCBO’s statement, saying they do not understand why the employer has not yet presented a counter-proposal for the return-to-work protocol.
At the union’s second news conference Friday afternoon, JP Hornick said a union and employer typically negotiate return-to-work protocols together.
“We’ve been calling [the LCBO] for the past couple of hours, saying, ‘Where is the counter-proposal? What would you like to see? What’s missing from your perspective?'” Hornick said.
A return-to-work protocol lays out how workers can return to work safely, Hornick said, considering warehouse workers, head office logistics and retail environments.
The union presented the LCBO with a standard set of protocols that they’ve also used when negotiating previous strikes, Hornick said, including during the Art Gallery of Ontario strike earlier this year.
“We’re not interested in halting up the process,” Hornick said.
Tentative deal was announced earlier Friday
The LCBO had issued a statement Friday morning saying the strike would end at 12:01 a.m. on Monday if the tentative agreement was ratified, and retail stores were to reopen for in-store shopping on Tuesday.
“We look forward to welcoming our unionized employees back to work in service of Ontarians,” it said.
On Friday morning, OPSEU said the tentative agreement would protect jobs and public revenue generated by LCBO sales.
“The union is confident this agreement addresses the needs of workers and is a win for all Ontarians,” the union said in a statement.
More than 9,000 workers walked off the job on July 5, the first strike in the LCBO’s history, shuttering 680 retail outlets across the province.
WATCH | Why LCBO workers are on strike:
More than 9,000 Ontario liquor store employees are on strike after bargaining talks broke down between their union and the LCBO. As CBC’s Mike Crawley explains, the union is demanding Doug Ford’s government reverse its decision to sell some drinks at convenience and grocery stores.
Province’s plan to expand alcohol sales at issue
Workers had said that Premier Doug Ford’s plans to make pre-mixed cocktails readily available across other stores were at the heart of the negotiations.
The plan will allow all 8,000-plus convenience stores and grocery stores in the province to sell beer, wine, and ready-to-drink cocktails.
The union says the expansion could lead to thousands of job losses for LCBO workers within a few years.
It’s also looking for the province to guarantee wage increases, and is seeking “more stable and permanent jobs.”