Workers at iconic B.C. hotel serve strike notice ahead of FIFA World Cup’s arrival

VICTORIA — Workers at a renowned British Columbia hotel have served strike notice in what is the latest in a series of labour actions taken as the province prepares to welcome World Cup travellers later this month.

Unifor Local 4276 says its members at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria have notified their employer that picket lines could go up as soon as Saturday.

The group says the notice comes with little movement at the bargaining table even as its members voted 99 per cent in favour of job action on April 1.

The union represents those in housekeeping, maintenance, banquet events and other departments at the Empress, a historic luxury hotel that opened in 1908 on Victoria’s harbourfront and serves as one of the city’s most iconic attractions.