LONDON, ON – The City of London’s tactics of hiring replacement workers and encouraging scabs to provide the services normally delivered by the striking workers will not end the labour dispute, as the strike enters week five, says CUPE 101.
“While Mayor Brown makes blanket statements of ‘valuing city workers’, it appears the City Manager is doing quite the opposite of what the mayor is saying publicly,” says Shelley Navarroli, president of CUPE 101. “Hiring replacement workers and openly encouraging scabs are certainly not valuing or showing respect to our members. The only way for this dispute to end is to have meaningful discussions at the bargaining table about the issues in dispute so that the parties can find a resolution to the strike. For some reason, the City’s spokesperson refuses to do this at the bargaining table or in answer to correspondence from the Union.”
“Council has been following the top managers’ agenda and workers are still out on strike and the residents and businesses are without services that our members provide – so perhaps council needs to stand up for London residents by asking some basic questions like, who’s agenda is driving this strike and why are management negotiators maintaining the same position on contract takeaways with no wholesome discussion with the Union about their issues, while refusing arbitration as the union offered,” says Navarroli. “Aside from the Mayor, there are 14 other elected officials in the city, and they need to question management’s approach to labour relations and negotiations. It is time for the rest of council to show leadership, after all they are the ones who were elected by Londoners, and they certainly did not elect the City Manager and other top administrators. All of the council members have a responsibility to find a solution to end this strike and not sit back with disinterest to let whatever game that is being played continue.”
CUPE 101 wants to find a solution to end this strike but you can’t bargain with yourself. The City’s chief spokesperson’s lack of communications is a barrier to finding a resolution.
“There seems to be an internal agenda that is preventing the city from settling this strike,” continued Navarroli. “How could there be any resolution when the city won’t bargain, will not accept the arbitration route offered by us and they are now hiring replacement workers and encouraging scabs?”
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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
