Many Cambridge Bay residents line up July 29 for hot dogs and cheeseburgers served by Qulliq Energy Corporation union workers who are on strike. - photo courtesy of Tom Rutherdale |
Strikers host community barbecue
Union workers in Cambridge Bay prefer community activities over picketing
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Monday, August 3, 2015
IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
Qulliq Energy Corporation workers took a different route in their strike action last week.
Instead of picketing, Cambridge Bay union workers hosted a community barbecue.
More than 300 cheeseburgers and hotdogs were grilled and given to residents.
Tom Rutherdale, a lineman for Qulliq in Cambridge Bay and an organizer of the barbecue, said the union is trying to do community activities in place of picketing to raise awareness of the labour dispute with the Government of Nunavut's Department of Finance.
Meanwhile, Nunavut Employees' Union president Bill Fennell said the government has shown no intention of negotiating.
"We've written the MLAs to demand that the premier and the finance minister and (deputy finance minister) Chris D'Arcy and their negotiator get back to Iqaluit and start dealing with things," Fennell said. He suggested the first three were on holidays until mid-August. "It's sending the message that there's not any end in sight."
He said his members want to get back to the table and back to work. But he also cited comments from D'Arcy that this is a sign of things to come in another negotiation.
"(He said) the GN workers are next," Fennell said, referring to negotiations set for government employees in late-September. "They can expect more of the same from the government. How does that make us feel that there's any good faith going into bargaining with them? "
Meanwhile, a government threat that it would pull a housing subsidy from striking workers is all smoke, no fire, Fennell said.
"It's a threat that carries no weight," he said, adding the law is on the workers' side because the landlord is unable to raise rent at the rate needed to cover the housing subsidy.
"We've spoken to the rental officer that's in charge of enforcing the Residential Tenancy Act. They cannot break the lease with their employees. The only way they can take away the subsidy is if the employee ceases to be an employee. I don't see it happening. If it was going to happen, it would have happened already."
He said the union would cover the housing cost if the government decides to make what he calls an illegal move and pull the staff housing benefit.
- With files from Casey Lessard
