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Staff of 7 Liquor Marts across Manitoba to be locked out indefinitely starting Saturday: union

Seven more Liquor Marts in the province will close Saturday until further notice, due to the ongoing labour dispute, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries says.

Stores in Winnipeg, Brandon and Flin Flon will close until further notice, Crown corporation says

CBC News ·
A Liquor Mart building
Crown corporation Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries said the stores will be closed until further notice to ensure the stores that remain open operate efficiently. (John Einarson/CBC)

Seven more Liquor Marts in the province will close Saturday until further notice, due to the ongoing labour dispute, according to Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL), the Crown corporation that distributes and sells liquor.

Five liquor retail stores in Winnipeg, one in Brandon and one in Flin Flon will close to ensure efficiency at the locations that remain open, MBLL said in a Friday news release. A number of other Liquor Marts have shut their doors in recent days. 

An ongoing labour dispute between MBLL and the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU), which represents about 1,400 liquor workers, led to a selective strike that began on July 19.

The workers have been without a contract since the previous one expired in March 2022.

MGEU president Kyle Ross said the Crown corporation is locking employees out of the seven stores set to close on Saturday.

"We are disappointed the employer has decided to take this step after employees had agreed to report for work and keep stores open so Manitobans could enjoy the long weekend," Ross said in a statement Friday.

Manitobans are encouraged to check online for open locations.

The following stores will be closed on Saturday until further notice:

  • Brandon South Liquor Mart 
  • Dominion Liquor Mart
  • Flin Flon Liquor Mart 
  • Madison Square Liquor Mart
  • Rivergrove Liquor Mart
  • Southglen Liquor Mart
  • Transcona Square Liquor Mart

On Tuesday, seven Liquor Marts in the province were closed for restocking and their employees were locked out.

Three additional stores were closed on Friday. That decision was made after the union said Liquor Mart employees could attend work but were not to receive inventory or restock shelves, according to MBLL.

Six Liquor Mart Express outlets, which are located within grocery stores, were also closed on Thursday morning until further notice.

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