Union members at Directwest, Water Security Agency in bargaining talks

Unifor members at Directwest and the Water Security Agency spent Wednesday morning at the bargaining table, hearing new proposals from the Crown corporation and the Crown agency five days after they and other Unifor members went on strike.

Scott Doherty, the executive assistant to Unifor national president Jerry Dias, confirmed the news to 980 CJME.

“The bargaining committee and myself met with Directwest (on Wednesday),” he said. “The employer phoned us (Tuesday) to ask to come back to the bargaining table. They wanted to make a proposal and we met with them (Wednesday).”

Doherty wouldn’t comment on the proposal or how it was received by union members.

“We don’t bargain in the media,” he said.

He also said bargaining committee members with the Water Security Agency met with representatives for that Crown agency to hear their latest proposal.

Other than that, “we haven’t been approached by any other groups,” said Doherty, who noted union members employed by all seven Crowns are still out on the picket lines.

Doherty also addressed allegations out of Saskatoon that picketers there were demanding ID from people who share a building with SaskTel, but work at a business called Sentinel Financial Group.

He confirmed that was in fact the case on Monday.

“That was one of the requests we had. It’s a legal picket line. We’re not allowing anybody at SaskTel to go to work,” Doherty said. “We’re asking for people that work in the building that SaskTel works in, if they provided us with ID, they could go through our picket line because they are not part of our picket line.”

Gord Martens is a financial adviser with the company. He said the picket line has been causing him and his business trouble.

Doherty said it’s “quite common in strike activities on picket lines where there’s several businesses, that as part of the protocol, you have to prove that you’re not part of the workforce that is on strike to be able to go through a picket line.”

On Wednesday morning, picketers from SaskPower blockaded the SaskTel building on Regina’s Airport Road, not allowing people to drive in. According to picketers, SaskTel mangers then started parking on the side of the road to go into work, and Regina police members ended up showing up to keep people safe on the slick roads.

Approximately 4,450 Unifor members at six Crown corporations and one Crown agency began striking Friday, after the union and the province couldn’t agree on new contracts.

That number reportedly comprises 2,800 workers at SaskTel, 800 at SaskEnergy, 520 at SaskPower, 120 at the Water Security Agency, 85 at SaskWater, 70 at SecurTek and 60 at Directwest.

Striking SaskPower members have blockaded the SaskTel building near the Regina airport. #skpoli #mycrowns pic.twitter.com/V8OMcs4PW3

— Unifor Canada (@UniforTheUnion) October 9, 2019