Union members at six of Saskatchewan’s Crown corporations and one Crown agency have voted to strike if necessary, according to Unifor.
Strike votes were counted Thursday at SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskWater and the Water Security Agency. The four join SaskTel, SecurTek, and DirectWest in a position to legally strike.
“Scott Moe is steering Saskatchewan towards a major service disruption,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President, in a press release. “All because he refuses to grant Crown workers the same pay increase that he gave himself.”
A press release from Unifor also said “the government’s mandate of a two-year wage freeze for public sector workers is a sticking point that will almost certainly result in job action if no flexibility is granted with the mandate.”
If a collective agreement is not reached by next week, the union says job action is set to begin at SaskTel at 12:01 a.m. Sept 30.
“Scott Moe saw fit to give himself a 2.3 per cent wage increase, so it’s certainly unfair to ask Saskatchewan’s hard-working Crown workers to swallow a wage freeze,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.
"We respect the collective bargaining process, including the right to strike. We encourage all parties to negotiate in good faith at the tabl," Minister Donna Harpauer responded.
