A strike by call-centre staff at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival was averted on Sunday, after an agreement was reached between their union and festival officials.
The call-centre staff handles ticket sales for the popular theatre festival.
The deal, which still needs to be ratified, sees workers getting a 5.5 per cent wage increase over two years and contains a clause that ensures that the festival will not contract out call-centre work for the duration of the agreement.
Officials say there has never been a strike in the festival's history.
News of the agreement broke on the eve of the festival's 60th season, which starts Monday with a performance of Much Ado About Nothing.
