Tentative deal reached for No Frills workers, averting looming strike

A tentative deal has been struck for nearly 1,300 workers at No Frills stores in Ontario, averting a strike that was set to begin as early as Monday.

Unifor announced the strike deadline on Thursday in a bid for higher wages and improved working conditions for employees at 17 locations in the province.

No Frills is the discount chain owned and operated by Canada’s largest grocery company, Loblaws Cos. Ltd.

“No Frills workers knew that the public would have their back in their demand for their fair share of Loblaw’s enormous profits,” said Gord Currie, Unifor Local 414 president.

“Workers made it very clear that they were ready to strike, if necessary, in order to achieve our necessary demands for decent work and pay.”

READ MORE: Workers at 17 Ontario No Frills stores set Monday strike deadline

The 17 locations that would have been affected included locations in Niagara Falls and Toronto, among others.

The union cited increasingly growing profits for the parent company amid the rising cost of living as the reason behind their demands, saying employees were fed up with the gap between their pay and Loblaw’s earnings.

A tentative agreement has been reached between Unifor and No Frills.

“Our bargaining committee at No Frills was determined to build on what grocery store workers had achieved this past summer with Metro,” says Unifor National President, @Lanampayne.https://t.co/kDSmHyUdUH pic.twitter.com/J5TYXxUz5k

— Unifor (@UniforTheUnion) November 19, 2023

Just last Wednesday, the grocery giant reported a third quarter profit of $621 million, a nearly 12 per cent rise in profits.

No Frills workers, who overwhelmingly hold part-time positions, are set to vote on the tentative agreement throughout the week up until Saturday.

Details of the deal struck have not been released at this time due to the impending vote and Loblaw has yet to comment on the agreement.

READ MORE: Toronto-area Metro workers ratify 2nd tentative agreement after month-long strike

“Our bargaining committee at No Frills was determined to build on what grocery store workers had achieved this past summer with Metro,” Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a statement.

“This tentative agreement delivers pattern wages and many other improvements for our members.”

Toronto area Metro workers represented by Unifor remained on strike for five weeks this past summer before an agreement was reached.

That deal saw around 2,700 workers receiving an immediate raise of $1.50 an hour, with full-time and senior part-time employees getting an additional 50-cent boost in January to bring their total increase over the coming months to $2-an-hour.

This report was created with files from The Canadian Press