Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, August 6, 2007

FORT SMITH - Fort Smith's Trailcross Treatment Centre for children may be hit with a strike on Tuesday.

Last-ditch negotiations on Aug. 1 and 2 between Bosco Homes and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)/Union of Northern Workers failed to reach a new contract.

The union then served strike notice for 17 full-time and part-time counsellors and support workers.

Trailcross accommodates nine children, aged 13-16, with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

The Department of Health and Social Services moved the children out of the facility and into foster homes late last week after the contract talks failed.

"All kids have been moved to alternate placements in the Northwest Territories," said Damien Healy, the communications manager with the department.

G.R. (Gus) Rozycki, the executive director/CEO of the Edmonton-based, not-for-profit Bosco Homes, said there is no chance of avoiding a strike.

"We're very disappointed and very frustrated," he said.Rozycki said an agreement was near after the first day of talks, which were held with the help of a federal negotiator.

"We were inches away from signing," Rozycki said.

Bosco Homes had upped its wage offer to 7.2 per cent over two years.

However, Rozycki said the union negotiators came back with new wage demands the next day, adding they were also asking for more money for employees taking children on outings.

"They wanted everything on their own terms and they didn't care if it created a deficit for us," he said.

Jean-Francois Des Lauriers, the regional executive vice-president for PSAC North, said the employer did offer 7.2 per cent over two years, but didn't want it retroactive for the first year back to April 2006.

"They were just shuffling money around," he said, adding no retroactive pay for the first year meant employees would be paying for the wage increases.

Des Lauriers said another stumbling block was the employer's refusal to improve contract language on personal and sexual harassment.

The union official said he is disappointed a strike is imminent.

"We're fully aware that Bosco Homes is getting sufficient funding from the GNWT to offer better wages than they are right now," Des Lauriers said.