Officials at Oland Brewery notified Labour Minister Marilyn More Friday afternoon that the company intends to lock out employees within 48 hours if they don't agree to a deal.

Wade Keller, a spokesman for the company, said the workers rejected an offer than included a 6.5 per cent wage increase over the next seven years.

The average wage for a unionized worker at the brewery is $69,000, Keller said.

"The company needs certainty going forward as to what is going to happen at our property," Keller said.

Unionized workers at Oland Brewery in Halifax rejected a tentative collective agreement negotiated with Labatt Breweries of Canada.

"Through several months of negotiations, we presented the union with an offer. It was rejected, reached an agreement that we believed was fair and that the union negotiating team thought was fair, and they recommended acceptance to their members, and it was rejected. That's left the company with very little option."

But the company is also asking for concessions around their pensions, he said.

"The collective agreement was turned down by a majority of the membership and we've commenced renegotiations with the employer on some of the areas of concern," Mark Dobson, the regional director for the Atlantic region of the United Food & Commercial Workers Canada, told CBC News on Friday.

An agreement in principle was reached on a collective agreement earlier this week, which was then rejected by a majority of the 130 unionized workers at Oland Brewery.

A previous offer from the employer was also rejected overwhelmingly over the weekend.

"We're hopeful and confident that we'll be able to reach a settlement that we can take back to the membership very shortly," Dobson said.

Keller said while notice of a lockout has been given, the company is still hopeful an agreement can be reached.

"We want to talk, but at this point, there's a significant gap," he said.

"I can assure our consumers and customers in the Maritime provinces that there is no danger to the supply of beer."