Workers, union prepare for picket lines as Crown strike looms

A strike across Saskatchewan’s Crown corporations seemed nearly inevitable Thursday, as the deadline for a deal crept closer.

Jerry Dias, president of Unifor National, told media members Thursday afternoon it was clear that the Crowns and the union were at an impasse. He said it had been a week since the union made its last offer and it hadn’t heard anything from the Crowns or the provincial government.

Dias said union members started with work-to-rule this week, hoping that common sense would win out.

“We went to work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and enough is enough. Because if the government is going to disrespect us, then we have no option but to pull our resources (Friday) and start a full-scale strike,” said Dias.

He said the union was busy organizing picketing schedules and strike pay for the workers. The Crown corporations say they have been training other staff and are preparing for a strike.

Dias said all the union is asking for is a two-per-cent increase a year while pointing out that Crown corporations made $400 million in profits last year.

Dias places the blame for the impasse on the provincial government. He said the Crown bargainers have told him the government mandated the Crowns not offer any increases for the first two years.

“The Scott Moe government can’t say that they believe in free collective bargaining and they’re not going to be a part of the solution, yet they are clearly part of the problem,” Dias said.

“So we have a situation where the government is saying, ‘Listen, everybody’s being mandated the same.’ Well, that’s not true, because Scott Moe just gave himself a 2.3-per-cent wage increase and our members are told that they have to accept nothing, and we’re not going to accept nothing.”

According to Dias, the Crowns will lose more in revenues in one day of picketing than the life of the agreement would cost.

Dias said he and his union are here for a deal, not for a fight. He said a deal would take only minutes if the two sides could get together and bargain, but he didn’t seem optimistic about that happening Thursday night.

“It takes two to tango and you can’t get an agreement if you’re playing solitaire,” he said.

Dias said all the union is asking for is what’s fair — increases consistent with the rate of inflation. He said that since 2007, Unifor’s members have only got an 11-per-cent increase in their wages, while senior management has had a 107-per-cent increase.

The deadline for a deal is midnight Friday, with workers set to hit the picket lines in the event of no deal at 7 a.m.

Premier Moe on the talks

Speaking in Saskatoon earlier Thursday, Moe said the provincial government doesn’t believe a general strike will be in the best interests of the Crown corporations or their workers.

He acknowledged there is a framework the Crowns are working from in their negotiations but said it doesn’t amount to a wage freeze.

“We feel there is an offer on the table that is five points over five years … We feel this is a fair offer as we look forward over the course of the next five years,” said Moe.

Moe said he hoped the sides could come to an agreement without job action. But he also said the Crowns were actively planning to keep services provided and work was being done on essential services.

When asked if the province was looking at back-to-work legislation, Moe said the government wasn’t actively considering it and that the government respects the workers’ right to strike.