TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On December 13th 2018 Power Workers’ Union (PWU) employees of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) voted in favour of job action after negotiations broke down as a result of PWU members rejecting OPG’s final offer.
The main bargaining committee will be meeting on December 14th to initiate a notice to begin a 21-day ‘safe shut down’ period in preparation for shutting down power production. PWU members will continue to fulfill their responsibilities in compliance with all safety guidelines in preparation for job action.
“Our members’ first choice is always to reach an agreement through negotiating in good faith,” says president of the Power Workers’ Union Mel Hyatt. “We are disappointed that OPG provided a final offer that remained unchanged from the previous offer that had already been rejected. We need to reach an agreement that will strengthen the reliability of Ontario’s energy sector.”
A majority of PWU members voted in favour of job action in response to OPG’s refusal to reconsider its stance to deny over 300 highly trained, skilled term workers the rights of full-time employees. Currently, 300 Pickering and Darlington power plants employees fit in the ‘term’ worker category.
“OPG’s treatment of highly trained workers must be addressed. These employees are relied upon to ensure the reliability of Ontario’s electricity sector, and therefore should not be treated as a disposable resource,” says president of the Power Workers’ Union Mel Hyatt.
PWU represents over 16,000 workers in Ontario’s energy sector including approximatively 6,000 OPG employees. The current collective agreement expired on March 31, 2018 with negotiations breaking down on October 17th 2018.
Media Contact: Paul Reece, Chief of Staff
Communication’s Department
Julianne Vondrejs
jvondrejs@pwu.ca
416-520-1187