GOSH: Personnel transferred from Cellared in Canada sales to VQA sales

 

REAL NEWS ITEM: Because of the new HST coming in July, both the Ontario and B.C. governments have transferred thousands of tax collectors to the Federal government payroll. While Ontario has offered an average $45,000 severance pay with no seniority, B.C. has offered seniority but no severance pay.

 

 

TRAWNA – (GOSH Wine News Services) – In a stunning series of decisions today, both the governments of Ontario (A Have-Not Province) and British Columbia (A Have Province) will announce the transfer of all their employees actively working on "Cellared in Canada" wines to the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA).

 

Thousands of civil servants in Canada, principally at the Liberal Control of Beverages in Ontario (A Clown, er, Crown Corporation) dba LCBO, will be moved from flogging "Cellared in Canada" wines to flogging "VQA" wines. This action was taken without any consultation with the VQA nor with the LCBO; the latter is to hold its own fire sale later in the year.

 

In Ontario, these workers will enjoy a severance package of 70% of their annual wages, with a salary reduction of 30% (soon to rise to 40%) based on Cellared in Canada's Ontario wine content. The VQA is supposed to make up the rest of their wages as soon as the stretch water component of "Cellared in Canada" wines can be determined.

 

Out by the Pacific, the position of the British Columbia Liquor Control and Licensing Branch dba BC Liquor Stores has been that a salary reduction of 100% to fit the "Cellared in Canada" wines in B.C. can be augmented by a promise of wages and seniority within the VQA system.

 

Said a VQA spokesperson, "I don't know where we'll get the money to pay ANY salary for these people: do we actually need all of them to sell VQA wines?"

 

The VQA has immediately announced a change in focus and has rebranded itself as the "Vocational Qualifying Authority". One of its revised missions is to create jobs within the wine industry for its new workers. It is expected that many will become winemakers or winemakers' assistants.

 

Schools of winemaking are poised to reap a windfall of applicants. Enquiries at the UBC Wine Research Centre, the BC Wine Institute, Niagara College Teaching Winery, and the CCOVI at Brock University are way up. Even the Amateur Winemakers of Canada are being approached: HeadMan Little Fat Wino was spotted clapping his hands with glee at the thought of renewed tuition monies.

 

These radical changes allegedly have the support of the respective unions, as per their labour contracts.

 

More on this development as it happens….

 

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com AND http://gothicepicures.blogspot.com