Unifor pickets outside Coronach power plant, SaskTel dealers after province turns down arbitration

One day after getting its arbitration plan turned down by the province, Unifor announced further actions to get Premier Scott Moe’s attention.

In a news release on Saturday, Unifor said it’s “bolstering the picket line at the Poplar River power plant in Coronach.” The union said it’s only letting essential services workers through and that this action will last until a deal is reached.

Members are also leafleting SaskTel dealers across Saskatchewan, encouraging customers “to take their business elsewhere during the lockout.”

Unifor said “actions will escalate throughout the weekend.”

On Friday, the union held a news conference announcing it had sent a letter to Moe, asking him to agree to a third-party arbitrator to help settle their wage negotiation issues and end the strike that began on Oct. 4.

The province later responded in a written statement, saying the Crown corporations involved will not be agreeing to binding arbitration as it believes “agreements can be reached by continuing to bargain in good faith.”

Financial issues remain the main hurdle in the negotiations. The government’s offer doesn’t include any salary increases over the first two years of the deal.

The union has long complained about the salary offer in light of the pay increases MLAs have received.