There were faint signs the strike by Quebec liquor store workers could have been nearing an end on Sunday, but talks ultimately ended without a breakthrough.

The two sides in the month-long strike gave drinkers in Quebec reason to hope for a positive development Sunday, when their meetings continued past an agreed deadline.

But when talks between the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) and its 3,800 striking employees finally ended, chief mediator Lucien Bouchard said critical issues remained unsettled.

The former Quebec premier said several points had been resolved, but the key issues of scheduling and part-time employees' job security were not.

Union spokesperson Martin Charoon told The Canadian Press he was disappointed.

"On the one hand the (liquor corporation) is a public service but they want to apply the rules of the private sector,'' he said.

The two sides have agreed to a one-week pause before returning to the negotiating table.

In the meantime, fifty of the 400 liquor stores in Quebec are being kept open by store managers.

Coming as it does in the run-up to the busy holiday party season, the strike is costing the Quebec government an estimated $500 million in lost liquor sales.

Of course Quebecers, who consume more wine than Canadians in any other province, haven't been left entirely high and dry. They can also buy beer and wine from their corner convenience stores.

With files from The Canadian Press