LONDON, ON – As the City of London strike enters week 7, bargaining talks through the mediator collapsed after management introduced new amendments to the collective agreement on Monday morning, that were never seen before till now, says CUPE 101.
“We are very disappointed, to say the least, that the city still has no intention to settle this strike,” says Shelley Navarroli, president of CUPE 101. “Instead of finding common ground for a tentative agreement, the city is escalating the situation by introducing new elements at this stage of the strike – it seems designed to make things go from bad to worse.”
CUPE 101 had every intention of settling this strike and tabled a proposal for settlement with significant moves late on Friday. The city took two whole days to respond to our proposal and, this morning, replied with a position much worse than can be expected – a response that is nowhere near the framework for a tentative agreement.
“Our bargaining committee made significant moves on the outstanding issues in an attempt to reach a settlement even though the city has yet to produce a business plan to support any demonstrated need for the changes they are asking for,” said Navarroli. “It is very clear the city does not want to see an end to this strike, but seems more interested in provoking and escalating the dispute.”
The union is currently considering all of our options including possible legal action. The union remains open to further discussions if there is a sincere interest by the city to resolve this strike.
-30-
For further information, please contact:
Shelley Navarroli, CUPE 101 President, 519-432-6695
Fred Blake, CUPE National Representative, 519-433-1754
James Chai, CUPE Communications, 416-458-3983
