MONTREAL -- Nearly 1,000 unionized Labatt Brewing Co. workers walked off the job at their suburban plant this week in a dispute over pay and the status of temporary workers. The workers had recently rejected the company's latest offer before voting overwhelmingly in favour of strike action at the west-end plant and distribution centre.

They are seeking five-per-cent wage increases over each of the next three years.

Part-time workers now average $14 an hour while full-time employees are paid about $27 hourly.

Union president Jean Lortie said the walkout also was designed to save jobs from subcontractors, protect temporary workers and improve the pension fund.

"It's clear our strategy is to hit now with the summer festivals and warm weather coming," Lortie told reporters.

Robert Daneau, another union official, said about 150 of the 950 unionized workers at the plant are temporary employees who earn half the salary of the full-time workers.

The temporary workers don't have any seniority or benefits other than holidays that are mandatory under provincial labour laws, Daneau said.

Paul Wilson, speaking for Labatt, said the beer maker is "stunned and disappointed" by the work stoppage, which he said occurred during "the most critical period" for sales.

"They know they hurt us, but they're hurting themselves also because we'll lose market share," Wilson added.

Besides its role as a brewery, the plant houses the distribution centre for all 3,000 Labatt retailers in Montreal as well as points of sale in a number of other cities and towns across Quebec.

Labatt's contingency plan calls for management personnel to move the stock until a settlement is reached.

"We've always been ready to negotiate and we still want to," Wilson said.