Nestle workers in Toronto ratify deal after striking for more than 3 weeks

Workers at a Nestle plant in Toronto have ratified a new contract after a strike that lasted more than three weeks.

Unifor says the 461 workers at the plant, which produces Kit Kat, Aero and Coffee Crisp bars, as well as Smarties, made significant gains on wages, pensions and health benefits.

The workers walked off the job May 5 after rejecting a previous tentative deal.

The union says the deal includes a 3.25-per-cent wage increase in the first year, three per cent in the second year and 2.25 per cent in the third year.

The deal also includes improvements to health benefits, and the union says some contract workers will become full-time employees.

Unifor national president Lana Payne says the deal protects members from precarious work and helps them deal with the current affordability crisis.