Strike at Canadian border operator ends

John Rimmer

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A strike among staff at Ontario operator Ambassador Duty Free has ended after a three-week dispute over contract terms

A three-week strike by staff at Ambassador Duty Free Store on the Ontario-Michigan border has ended, allowing the retailer to restore 24-hour opening for the first time since September 2. The strike was called after Ambassador's management failed to reach an agreement with its shop staff, most of whom are recruited on one-year contracts from the University of Windsor.

The students' main grievance concerned the length of their contract, which has been set at one year since Ambassador opened over 10 years ago. The one-year term is designed to allow the maximum number of students to work in the store, but current staff members were unhappy that they were unable to prolong their contracts.

The settlement reached allows students employed since April 17 a new one-year contract and offers them a rise in salary and signing bonus, Ambassador manager Mike Maskery told RavenFox.com.

The dispute forced the closure of Ambassador's store for four days over the Labor Day weekend earlier this month, and prevented the retailer from opening from 1am to 5am daily.