Grocery store workers who were set to strike over insufficient pay and poor working conditions reached a tentative deal with grocery giant Metro early Wednesday morning.
“The agreement covers 3,700 frontline grocery workers at 27 Metro stores across the Greater Toronto Area,” Unifor, the union representing Metro workers, confirmed in a statement.
“We are pleased to have achieved a tentative agreement that addresses core concerns raised by our members at Metro…that will help set an improved standard for the industry,” Lana Payne, president of Unifor said.
Details of the agreement will not be made public until it has been presented to members of the union for a “ratification vote in the coming week,” the statement said.
Sub-par working conditions, insubstantial pay, unstable working hours, and improved access to health and dental benefits, were the key points on the negotiation agenda.
Unifor had the undivided support of its members to strike if a deal was not reached, according to a worker vote.
“The solidarity and resolve demonstrated by our Metro workers throughout the bargaining process have been truly remarkable. Members were 100% united in their demand for fair pay, better health and sick leave benefits, and stable work hours—and their unity has resulted in an agreement that our committee is incredibly proud of,” Gord Currie, Unifor Local 414 President said.
Urgent concerns over affordability underscored the union’s intentions, as its members can no longer pay to shop at the store they work at, with many of whom considered ‘essential’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The consumer price index for June found that “grocery prices remain one of the largest contributors to the all-items CPI, with a 9.1% year-over-year increase in June, nearly unchanged from the increase in May (+9.0%).”
The all-encompassing affordability crisis sweeping the nation presents insurmountable obstacles for everyday people, leaving “frontline grocery workers, at Metro and beyond, unable to afford food or rent, while having to grapple with unpredictable schedules that prevent them from being with family,” Currie said.
A spokesperson for Metro told CBC News the grocery giant is “committed to working with the union to reach an agreement that meets the needs of our employees while enabling the company to have the flexibility it needs to meet and exceed our customers’ needs and expectations.”
