Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries says it's willing to go to arbitration for labour dispute with union

Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries says it has accepted a conciliator's proposal to end a nearly month-long labour dispute with the union representing Liquor Mart employees through binding arbitration centred on wage increases.

An independent conciliator recommended Liquor & Lotteries move forward with binding arbitration focused on general wage increases to end an ongoing dispute with the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents about 1,400 Liquor Mart workers, according to a Monday news release issued by the Crown corporation.

The conciliator also suggested the rest of the corporation's offer to the union — including changes to pay grades, benefits and a one-time bonus — stay the same to maintain those gains for employees while arbitration takes place, according to Liquor & Lotteries.

Liquor & Lotteries says it has accepted the conciliator's recommendations and is awaiting the union's response. Both parties began meeting with the independent conciliator last week.

Under current labour laws, parties involved in a labour dispute can apply for binding arbitration —  in which a decision is legally binding and enforceable, similar to a court order — if a strike or lockout continues for 60 days.

The union confirmed to CBC News on Monday that the conciliator recommended going to binding arbitration instead of waiting for the full 60 days, when arbitration would happen anyway. Kyle Ross, president of MGEU, says the union is open to the idea.

"I think we should [do it], but we need some parameters around it," he told CBC News.

In a statement issued later Monday, Ross accused the provincial government of "trying desperately to end the strike without ever making a fair offer" by pushing for arbitration.

Ross said the union wants to ensure the arbitration process is fair.

"When binding arbitration is proposed to end a strike, both parties sometimes agree to a 'floor' below which the arbitrated settlement cannot fall. We are telling the conciliator that, while we would prefer to reach a negotiated settlement at the bargaining table, we will consider binding arbitration if a 'fairness floor' is built into the process," his statement reads in part.

"Unfortunately, the government chose to go public with its call for arbitration before we could even get into discussion about what the process would look like."

The workers, who have been without a contract since the previous one expired in March 2022, began a selective strike on July 19, which escalated into a provincewide strike last Tuesday.

All but two government-owned Liquor Marts in Manitoba were closed over the weekend. Five Winnipeg Liquor Marts have been kept open by managers during the week, along with a Brandon store and the store in Thompson, due to the provincewide strike.

The conciliator has offered a path forward to end the summer strike disruptions for customers and over 2,000 Manitoba businesses, Liquor & Lotteries CEO and president Gerry Sul said in the corporation's news release.