Locked-out workers protest city move to plow streets
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (May 14/01) - Pot-hole-filled roads have become the latest battleground between the city and its locked-out workers.
The showdown came a day after the city declared streets unsafe and hired a contractor to grade local roads. The city order, due to freezing rain, grounded school buses and taxis, forcing school closures.
The confrontation came as six locked-out municipal workers surrounded a grader driven by RL Hanson Construction worker Scotty Henderson Thursday morning.
Henderson was less than 30 minutes into his shift plowing the road to the airport when Bob Brouillet and five other city workers formed an hour-long human blockade.
Four RCMP officers were called in to ensure the confrontation didn't get out of hand.
"That's scabbing. Our guys are naturally going to react because that's a direct challenge to what they'd normally do," said Bob Allen, regional strike co-ordinator for the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).
Allen said more protests were possible.
"If our people see other people doing their jobs, it's going to be very touchy. It's like throwing gasoline on a small fire."
Later, union members confronted a loader driven by city operations superintendent Paul Wieczorek.
Brouillet, one of about 50 municipal workers locked out since April 17, said the demonstrations are a message to council.
"This wouldn't have happened if the city bargained at the table ... it's their fault the roads are in this state," Brouillet said.
RL Hanson Construction has a three-month road maintenance contract with the city to plow the roads on an "as-and-when-needed" basis.
Mayor John Matthews said a court injunction legislating road work, like one the city sought last week to order full water/sewage service, is now in the works.
"I know employees are saying it's scab labour and jobs are being taken away, but it's a contract to enhance the existing work our staff (normally) does," Matthews said.
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board sided with the city this week, saying the union had failed to comply with their essential services agreement.
The condition of roads was a concern for City Emergency Services director Neville Wheaton.
He said firefighters reached an apartment fire on May 4 without delays despite road conditions but non-emergency calls, like patient transfers, have required some adjustments.
"The other night we had a rough road going to the airport and we called out a loader at 4:30 a.m. to smooth things," Wheaton said.
