Are more strikes happening in Manitoba?

Manitoba's Liquor Mart strike continues to drag on, with customers scrambling to find their favourite drinks at just a handful of stores open across the province.

The labour dispute is not the only one currently happening in Manitoba, as 1,700 Manitoba Public Insurance workers have voted for a strike mandate, and workers at Manitoba's land titles office began job actions earlier this month.

"It does feel like there's been a large uptick in labour disputes and collective bargaining and strike action," said Brianna Solberg with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

Labour studies professor Adam King says there has been an increase in strike actions in Manitoba this year, in part because many unions agreed to extend expiring contracts during the pandemic.

"The central issue in most of these work stoppages and work disruptions is wages that keep pace with the cost of living," King said.

But overall, King said labour stoppages are not starting more often, they just seem to be because of some high-profile strikes happening right now.

Hollywood writers and actors are currently on strike fighting for their rights against AI-created content. Canada saw port workers in B.C. go on strike in July, and more than 120,000 federal employees walked off the job in April.

"There are many high profile strikes that people are paying attention to and that's really shaping the discourse on strikes," said King, adding these strikes seem to be lasting longer than usual.

The Liquor Mart strike has been going on for more than a month and has been impacting other Manitoba businesses.

The union representing liquor workers was back at the bargaining table with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries on Friday.