Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries to close 3 more stores on Friday, as labour dispute with MGEU drags on

An additional three liquor retail stores will be closed for a one-day lockout on Friday, a spokesperson for Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries said in a statement Thursday.

Liquor Marts in Dominion Shopping Centre, Transcona Square and Brandon South will close their doors for the day due to the ongoing labour dispute between the Crown corporation and the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU), which represents about 1,400 liquor workers.

Liquor & Lotteries said its decision was necessitated by the union's position that Liquor Mart employees can attend work but are not to receive inventory or restock shelves, requiring the provincial Crown corporation to reduce the number of open stores in order to maintain an acceptable level of service.

"The lockout at these locations is not undertaken lightly," the spokesperson said. 

"MBLL is taking measured and proportional steps to ensure we can continue providing retail liquor service to Manitobans."

Liquor Mart Express outlets, which are located in grocery stores, closed Thursday at 7 a.m. and won't open until further notice, the spokesperson said. 

MGEU said Wednesday that unionized liquor store retail workers throughout the province will work from Friday to Monday, while distribution centre workers and head office staff will withhold services over the Terry Fox Day long weekend.

Employees will continue to refuse overtime work, and liquor store workers will not receive shipments, a spokesperson from MGEU said Wednesday.