After a month-long strike, frontline staff at Metro grocery stores across the GTA have approved a landmark deal. The new contract will see substantial wage hikes for the chain’s 3,700 employees.
Full-time metro workers will get a $4.50 hourly raise over the term of the deal, reaching $25.05/hour. Part-timers will also see significant bumps in pay that some say are life-changing.
The pact includes an immediate $1.50 wage boost for all staff and a further $2 increase for full-timers and senior part-timers. Enhanced benefits, pensions, scheduling guarantees, and job protections are also part of the package.
Metro workers said it bargained in good faith to meet both employee and business needs. But Unifor said the deal sets a new bar for Canadian grocery workers thanks to union solidarity and community backing.
Representing over 315,000 hard-working members coast to coast,
Unifor stands as the largest private-sector union in Canada today, giving a powerful voice to employees across every major sector of the Canadian economy.
Unifor’s president said the agreement shows the power of seizing the moment to push for gains for workers everywhere. Ratification ends a month-long strike that began July 29 across 27 GTA Metro stores.
Conclusion
As inflation rises and the cost of living surges, unions argue workers need a greater share of profits. By striking and bargaining hard, the Metro employees won major gains even in a challenging economic climate.
The contract sets a bold precedent in Canada’s grocery sector and beyond. Unifor hopes it sparks a broader push to lift up retail, grocery, and service industry staff long undervalued and underpaid.
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