Provincial Liberals may have intervened to prevent LCBO strike

It would appear the Ontario Liberals and the LCBO were in cahoots to prevent a strike.

On the eve of the Victoria Day long weekend, the LCBO reached a deal with its workers.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa may have had a hand in that.

In February, Sousa told the legislature the province would seek “zero-zero going forward.”

His budget also promised “no funding for incremental compensation increases for new collective agreements.”

Both statements proved to be false, and Tory Finance Critic Peter Shurman said he noticed this isn’t the first time.

“This fits into a pattern,” Sherman said. “This opens the door to basically the same thing with a contract dispute.”

Sherman said the Liberals make guidelines, but can’t keep them straight.

“There are 4,000 collective agreements,” he said. “They’re setting guidelines they’re set to throw out.”

The settlement was reached in May with the LCBO and its 7,000 workers included $800 signing bonuses within the first two years, a two per cent raise in 2015 and 2016.

The liquor company also agreed to add 200 full-time jobs by the end of the four-year contract.

Sheila Keenan, a spokesperson for OPSEU, told 680News you can never predict a 95 per cent mandate.

“If I were in government and owned a corporation of so-called ‘casual workers’, I would think you’d want to make a reasonable settlement.”

In 2012, customer service representatives at the LCBO made upwards of $27 an hour under their contract.