REGINA – SaskTel workers voted to give its union, Unifor, a strong mandate to take strike action if necessary, if contract negotiations fail
"Our members have made their intentions very clear with this vote," said Chris MacDonald, Unifor's assistant to the national president, in the Unifor release. "They want a fair contract. And if an agreement can't be reached, the bargaining committee now has the ability to call a strike."
In discussions with the company and union through the federal mediator, they’ve agreed no job action will happen pending the outcome of bargaining meetings scheduled for August 12, 13, and 14.
"We insisted SaskTel put a monetary offer on the table and they have committed to doing that in August," said Unifor Local 1S President Dave Kuntz. "We're hopeful that an agreement can be reached and service disruptions to the public will be avoided."
Hundreds of members participated in strike vote meetings held across the province over the last few weeks. SaskTel subsidiary SecurTek voted in favour of a strike last month.
Unifor workers at SaskTel are seeking improvements to job security, provisions related to mental health and compensation, says the release.
SaskTel isn’t the only provincial Crown Corporation facing collective bargaining battles as SaskPower, SaskWater, SaskEnergy and the province’s Water Security Agency are all in collective bargaining, according to the union’s web site.
