BC strike sparks liquor shortage fears for bars and restaurants

There are no signs of a deal on day seven of escalating strike action by the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU), and now, the restaurant industry is bracing for its worst-case scenario: liquor shortages.

So far, the job action has not affected B.C.’s Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) warehouses, but if it does, restaurants say they would feel the impact within days.

“It is just creating an uncertainty we do not need right now,” said Ian Tostensen, president of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association.

“It is like you own a bank, and someone says, ‘I’m going to rob you, but I’m not going to tell you when.’ That is the same thing with the BCGEU — we are potentially going to have action against the LDB warehouse and or stores.”

In the meantime, Tostensen says owners are scrambling to stock up.

“A lot of restaurants probably have enough stock to get them through a week. After that, they would start to run out of product.”

“It’s really costly to stock up, and there’s not a lot of room.”

By law, B.C. restaurants and bars must purchase liquor through government-run warehouses and stores, with limited exceptions for local wine and beer.

Beyond the immediate threat of shortages, Tostensen says the situation highlights a broken system.

“Why are we being party to a third-party labour dispute we have nothing to do with?”

“We need to redesign the system in British Columbia so the 10,000 licensed restaurants and bars in this province are not caught in the middle every time there is a strike.”

BCGEU demands 8.25 per cent raise over two years

Meanwhile, more than a thousand additional BCGEU members walked off the job on Tuesday.

The union is demanding an 8.25 per cent raise over two years, along with cost-of-living protections and remote work rights.

The union says the province’s last offer was roughly half that amount.

The province’s Ministry of Finance has said it wants a deal that is fair to both workers and taxpayers, while the union argues the government’s proposal amounts to a pay cut in real terms.

Both sides have not met face-to-face since July, and union leaders say the escalating strike is meant to pressure the province back to the bargaining table.

With files from Sonia Aslam and the Canadian Press