The British Columbia General Employees Union has stopped picketing alcohol warehouses, but that does not mean that empty liquor store shelves will be restocked soon.
Purchase limits are set to continue and restaurant owners’ orders could take weeks to be filled, said Ian Tostenson, CEO of the sa国际传媒 Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
“We have been informed that in an effort to get shipments moving again, limits on purchase maximums will remain in place until next week,” Tostenson said in a letter to his association’s members.
The sa国际传媒 Liquor Distribution Branch imposed restrictions on how much customers could purchase at any one time. People could buy three of each product, except for beer.
Tostenson estimated that for every week of labour disruption, it will take two weeks to smooth out distribution. BCGEU members stopped the flow of alcohol for 15 days.
Liquor distribution workers were set to first ship out orders that were already packaged in the warehouses. Prioritized orders will be those received by email and phone before 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 15, as well as orders placed in the online store before 3 p.m. on Aug. 17.
“To ensure we can get product to customers as soon as possible, we may need to deliver outside of normal delivery windows,” the liquor distribution branch said in an email to industry partners.
BCGEU workers started picketing liquor distribution warehouses in Richmond, Delta, Kamloops and Victoria Aug. 15, disrupting the flow of alcohol from distillers and wineries based outside the province to government-run and private stores.
Beer distribution was not disrupted because it is warehoused separately.
The BCGEU ended its job action on Tuesday, saying it was a sign of “good faith” after the parties returned to the bargaining table a week ago.
“The committee returned to the bargaining table with the sa国际传媒 Public Service Agency last Thursday and has made significant progress,” it said in a statement. “The two sides will continue to meet throughout the week, hoping to finalize a tentative agreement.”
