Support strike pending

Employment support workers in Port aux Basques voted unanimously in favour of strike action on May 16, but their union has agreed to wait a few weeks before taking up picket signs.

The 34 workers, employed by the Port aux Basques Community Employment Corporation (CEC), assist people with developmental disabilities maintain employment.

At issue are wages, benefits and other clauses in the collective agreement, according to Carol Furlong, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE), which represents the workers.

Although in a legal strike position now, the union has agreed not to take job action for a few weeks while the CEC talks with the provincial government, which funds the supported employment program.

If the workers do hit the picket lines, 22 jobs will be affected, according to Edwina Bateman, executive director of the CEC. That includes both clients of the corporation and their support workers.

Mrs. Bateman explained that not all 34 workers are permanent, full-time employees. Some work seasonally and others part-time, depending on the needs of the client involved.

The program is worth approximately $350,000 in Port aux Basques this year. That number fluctuates year-to-year depending on the number of clients and their needs.

The support workers have been without a contract since March 31, 2009.

Negotiations started last year but little progress was made, said Gerard Ward, employee relations officer with NAPE.

According to Mr. Ward, the parties could not get past the first issue - the demand by the employer of the removal of a key agreement clause.

The clause is a memorandum of understanding that, at its core, promises the workers at the Port aux Basques CEC the same pay increases and job classifications as their counterparts on the Burin Peninsula. Those workers have been on strike since November.

Mr. Ward said negotiations did not move past that point to even begin discussions about pay and benefits.

"There hasn't been a lot of negotiations... there's been very little negotiation actually," confirmed Mrs. Bateman. She declined to provide any details on the talks.

New workers at the Port aux Basques CEC currently make $9.57 per hour. Once the minimum wage increases to $10 per hour on July 1, Mr. Ward pointed out CEC workers would be making less than the minimum.

Workers who have been with the corporation for three years or more earn $10.56 per hour.

"We're not talking big money," said Ms. Furlong.

"Government recognizes that there's a need to provide a support service to persons with disabilities to allow them to become a part of the paid workforce. It's all about inclusion... about recognizing the value that persons with disabilities can have in the workforce."

The union leader said she believes the province is calling the shots in the negotiations and an agreement could be reached if the CEC was in control of the situation.

Ms. Furlong said a representative from Treasury Board attended each negotiation. Mrs. Bateman confirmed that was the case, but declined to say whether the CEC was taking direction from that government representative.

The province denies a Treasury Board representative has been involved. In an emailed statement, the department said, "the Port aux Basques Community Employment Corporation is not certified under the Public Service Collective Bargaining Act and Treasury Board is not responsible for those negotiations.

"No representative of Treasury Board has attended any of the ongoing negotiations with respect to the CEC," continued the statement.

"I would hope that we could find a resolution soon," said Mrs. Bateman. "I don't want to see any job action. I am concerned about the clients as well as the workers and the repercussions of job action."

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