Members of the Union of National Employees at the National Arts Centre voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, yesterday. Our union hopes that this is the wake-up call that the NAC needs to iron out a fair deal for our members.
In a recent interview with the Ottawa Citizen, an NAC spokesperson said she is confident a strike can be avoided. However, in the event that our members walk off the job, they’d ensure the NAC remain open.
Our position? Good luck with that!
PSAC National Executive Vice-President for the NCR, Larry Rousseau, says the labour movement would mobilise to shut it down.
“Just watch us go,” Larry Rousseau told the Citizen. “We’re talking about the Public Service Alliance of Canada here. The labour movement will show up.”
There are two issues at the crux of this impasse: the employer isn’t budging on a fair wage increase and won’t extend reasonable job security provisions.
“The 70 members that we represent at the NAC have been more than patient with their employer. They keep being told there’s no money for a fair wage increase –yet this same employer just recently spent $90,000 to develop a new logo,” said UNE National President Doug Marshall.
Our union is hoping that the employer can work with us in good faith to come to an equitable deal. No one wants to strike, but we’re ready to support our members if that’s what it comes to.
The Local will be able to legally strike as of September 24. The UNE represents members who provide maintenance, cleaning, security and parking services at the NAC.