Hospitality coalition to present call for emergency measures amid BCGEU strike

Members of B.C.’s hospitality, wine, beer, and liquor sectors are pressuring the provincial government to make changes to help them survive the ongoing public servants strike.

Five representatives of industry associations are expected to speak at a media event in Vancouver Friday morning.

Wine Growers British Columbia (WGBC), the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA), Import Vintners and Spirits Association (IVSA), Restaurants Canada, the BC Craft Brewers Guild, and the Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC) will present new provincewide survey data and call for immediate emergency measures to protect businesses.

The associations have called the strike by the BC General Employees’ Union “devastating.”

Union members at BC Liquor and Cannabis distribution centres first began participating in job action on Sept. 12, and all warehouses and head offices officially joined the strike on Sept. 22.

Since then, several hospitality industry leaders and restaurateurs have shared the strain that businesses are under while struggling to meet customer demand.

Speaking at an unrelated news conference Tuesday, Premier David Eby said it has been an “incredibly challenging time” not just for the restaurant sector but for many British Columbians looking to get government services, such as permits or licences.

“It has been a long strike. I know it’s frustrating, but we hope to get back to the table to resolve this as quickly as possible.”

Finance Minister Brenda Bailey, who speaks for the government in the dispute, said in a video statement over the weekend that the government can’t agree to a deal that makes service delivery too expensive to maintain.

“What we can do is deliver government workers’ compensation that keeps up with inflation and offers even more to our lowest wage earners. It’s fair and it’s in touch with today’s reality,” said Bailey in the video.

As of Friday, the strike has been ongoing for 45 days. About 25,000 union members are off the job across 20 ministries, Crown corporations, and agencies.

Eby said once the strike is over, the supply challenges that the restaurant industry and liquor and cannabis retailers face will be resolved.

The five associations will speak from Donnellans Irish Pub on Granville Street at 10 a.m.

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—With files from Nono Shen, The Canadian Press