All Liquor Board Employees;
Bob Peter, President and CEO of the LCBO, sent an announcement to our members on February 13, 2012 stating that Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance, was directing the LCBO to sell its head office property, including the Toronto warehouse and Queens Quay liquor store (Store 217).
According to the letter, the reason for the sale is that the head office facility is on property that has appreciated significantly over time and greater value can be extracted from this asset if it is sold for redevelopment. The letter also states that the sale will likely take several years and the announcement does not mean the LCBO will be privatized.
This announcement was made without any advance consultation with your union. OPSEU and LBED have expressed their extreme disappointment at the way this has been handled and we are investigating. We have demanded full disclosure of details, including timelines and expected impacts on affected bargaining unit employees. This disclosure session will happen on March 6, 2012, at the Provincial Labour-Management Meeting. We have requested that a representative from the Ministry of Finance come to the disclosure meeting to answer our questions.
I spoke directly with OPSEU"s President, Warren (Smokey) Thomas, who said, "Good labour relations means that people have a say in the decisions that affect them. That did not happen here. Instead of just listening to Don Drummond, the Premier should seek input from OPSEU members who contribute so much to the quality of Ontario public services. We are the solution and through engagement we can help.”
He made it clear that we will take a strong stand against decisions made without looking at the impact on our members and without proper consultation with their union
We will send you further updates as information becomes available.
In Solidarity,
Denise Davis
Chair of the Liquor Board Employees Division
(c) (905) 767-6867 denise.davis@rogers.com