The union that represents liquor store employees is calling for Melfort council to take a stand against the privatization of the city’s public liquor store.
Bob Stadnichuk of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union made his presentation at the Sept. 11 council meeting.
“You owe it to your community to give this a second thought and you owe it to the people of Melfort to keep this community strong,” he told council.
The Melfort public liquor store, which has three full-time and nine part-time jobs, is slated to be privatized in 2019 after the lease on the current building runs out.
Stadnichuk said that rural locations that have seen privatization see less than half of the selection of a public liquor store, higher prices and hours dictated by the business the liquor store is located in. He added the local liquor employees, which earn a combined $290,000 a year, will see lower wages.
“The employees that are living in your community and working at the public liquor store spend that money in your community. They buy goods in your community and they help keep other businesses strong in your community,” he said. “Should the government continue on its current path, this will be replaced with low wages, no benefits and precarious employment.”
Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor, said council will have a discussion as to what role they play.
“I don’t know if we actually get to play a role in this instance because I know there’s been instance where councils have said to the government we don’t want privatization and the government has decided that’s the route they’re going to go,” he said.
He said council could voice an opinion, but it will do so if the majority agrees to do so. Lang said personally, he’d like to research the issue more before making a decision.
“We’ll have to figure out what our view should be and how we’ll lobby going forward – if we’re going to lobby at all,” he said. “You have to weigh all sides and take into consideration what’s happened and what’s happening and look at what role we play as a municipality.”
