Canada, Vancouver - The strike by employees of Brewers' Distributor, which stopped all shipments of Molson and Labatt beer to most of B.C. could be over by the weekend. A tentative agreement has been reached. And the 300 striking members of the Brewery, Winery and Distillery Workers Union vote on the deal on Friday. Union spokesperson Gerry Bergunder says the two sides reached an agreement early May 13 morning. He says if the membership approves the three-year package, they could be back on the job on Friday afternoon.

The union is not making any recommendation on the deal to members. The two sides had been far apart when the strike began earlier this month. The company, which is owned by Molson and Labatt, was offering an eight-per-cent increase in wages and befits in the first year. The union had been asking for a 23-per-cent increase.

14 May, 2004