Metro says Unifor refused bargaining meetings as workers across GTA remain on strike

Grocery giant Metro Inc. said that Unifor, the union representing Metro’s striking workers in the Greater Toronto Area, refused a meeting with the company’s bargaining committee last weekend.

In a statement released late Tuesday, Metro’s spokesperson said that Metro’s bargaining team reached out to Unifor for a meeting, offering to meet as quickly as Sunday or Monday.

“The agreement offered, amongst other things, substantial wage increases as well as improved pension and benefits, including sick days, and improved scheduling for different groups of employees,” the statement said.

However, Unifor said it’s waiting for an acceptable offer from Metro.

“Front-line grocery workers have been clear about their expectations, and what the company presented is inadequate,” Gord Currie, president of Unifor Local 414, said in a statement.

The back-and-forth between the parties comes just after the Canadian grocery chain reported staggering profits for the quarter last week. Metro posted a massive profit of 26.1% with net earnings of $346.7 million, while workers at 27 of its stores in the Greater Toronto Area continue to be on strike since last month.

“This dispute is about wages – members have spoken loudly that they’ve watched their wages slowly erode over time, while this company turns out record profits, and they are demanding a fairer deal,” Currie said.

Around 3,700 frontline store employees at 27 Metro stores walked off the job on July 29, after members of Unifor Local 414 members rejected a tentative agreement between the company and the union workers.

Metro said the agreement included wage increases, with full-time and senior part-time employees getting $3.75 more per hour by July 2026 and $2.65 more by the same date for other part-time employees.

Unifor earlier said that grocery workers are asking for a fair share of Metro’s profits.

Rahat Sandhu