Metro says union refused request to meet amid ongoing grocery strike in the GTA – Toronto | 24CA News
TORONTO — Amid an ongoing strike by Metro staff in Toronto, the grocery large stated Unifor refused its request to satisfy with the bargaining committee.
Metro’s bargaining committee reached out to Unifor over the weekend and supplied to satisfy as quickly as Sunday or Monday, stated spokeswoman Marie-Claude Bacon in a press release.
However, Unifor stated it’s ready for a suitable provide from Metro.
“Front-line grocery workers have been clear about their expectations, and what the company presented is inadequate,” Gord Currie, president of Unifor Local 414, stated in a press release.
“This dispute is about wages — members have spoken loudly that they’ve watched their wages slowly erode over time, while this company turns out record profits, and they are demanding a fairer deal.”
Around 3,700 Metro staff have been on strike since late July at 27 shops throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
Some staff have stated they battle to afford the very meals they promote, and plenty of have been calling for his or her pandemic “hero pay” of $2 an hour to be reinstated.
In late July, the employees voted towards a tentative settlement that Unifor nationwide president Lana Payne described as their greatest in a long time, selecting as an alternative to strike and demand extra from their employer.
The tentative settlement included paid sick days for part-time staff, enhancements in advantages and pensions, and important wage will increase, Bacon stated, with full-time and senior part-time workers getting $3.75 extra per hour by July 2026.
The settlement included no concessions for Metro staff, stated Bacon.
“It’s the joint responsibility of Metro and the union to keep trying to negotiate an outcome at the bargaining table, particularly in a context where the parties had reached a very good agreement which both parties recognized as such and that was unanimously recommended by union representatives to the employees,” she stated.
Unifor has stated grocery staff are asking for a fair proportion of Metro’s earnings. The grocer reported increased earnings in its newest quarter as gross sales rose, beating analysts’ expectations.
The union has signalled it intends to sample discount with the most important grocers over the subsequent two years, that means the Metro contract might assist set requirements for different agreements throughout the nation.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
