Tentative deal reached with striking Metro employees in GTA

A tentative deal has been reached with striking grocery workers in the GTA. Sr. Business Editor Mike Eppel with the agreement that could end a month-long strike by 3,700 workers at 27 Metro stores.

By Patricia D'Cunha and The Canadian Press

Metro Inc. and Unifor say a tentative deal has been reached with striking grocery workers in the GTA, potentially ending a month-long strike.

More than 3,700 workers at 27 Metro stores have been on strike since July 29 after rejecting their first tentative agreement.

The grocer says the agreement has been “unanimously recommended by the union’s bargaining committee and will put an end to the labour dispute if ratified.”

Unifor says details of the deal won’t be revealed at this point. A ratification vote is expected to be held in the “coming days.”

“Our union was able to negotiate this new tentative agreement due to the unwavering commitment of our Metro grocery members who were united in their goal to improve their wages and working conditions,” said Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president.

The tentative deals come a day after Metro and Unifor returned to the bargaining table to resume negotiations.

Since their last contract, workers have endured a global pandemic, skyrocketing inflation and rising interest rates.

The Metro employees have been asking for higher wages as well as better working conditions and more full-time jobs. Some workers have said they struggle to afford groceries at their own stores.

The union had said workers want a bigger share of Metro’s profits, which have risen in the past couple of years, with some workers saying they want their pandemic “hero pay” — an extra $2 an hour — reinstated.

On Tuesday, an Ontario court granted Metro a temporary injunction to restrict pickets by striking workers at distribution warehouses in the city.

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