LCBO employees will be in a legal strike position on July 5, according to its union.
The union representing approximately 10,000 LCBO workers requested a no-board report from the Ontario Ministry of Labour on Tuesday, starting a 17-day countdown to strike.
A day earlier, the LCBO requested a third-party mediator be brought in to help reach an agreement between the liquor retailer and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) as soon as possible.
This comes after 97 per cent of LCBO employees voted overwhelmingly in favour of a mandate to walk off the job.
In response to the strike vote, the LCBO said it is putting a plan in place to ensure customer service continues during a potential strike.
The Crown corporation previously said it was hoping to reach a deal before job action took place and had several bargaining dates scheduled for this week to resume negotiations.
OPSEU has said the Ford government’s expansion of private alcohol sales translates to “selling off the work of the LCBO” to private companies.
This is a breaking news story. More details to come.