HALIFAX - Striking workers from Cole Harbour Place will rally in front of HRM City Hall before tomorrow night’s regular session of council.
The rally will take place at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 25 in front of the main entrance to City Hall.
The workers commenced strike action on Monday, June 17. The main issues in the dispute are wages and benefits for part-time workers who currently earn $6.50 an hour. Most of these employees are working 40 hours a week.
Meanwhile, there are reports from inside the facility that student lifeguards are being told they must do cleaning duties usually performed by the strikers.
CUPE National Representative Larry Power says, “We’ve had the mothers of these young students coming up to us and telling us their children are being intimidated into doing this work, being told they ’have to’ do it.
“Our concern is that they have no health and safety training, no WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials) training, and they’re using chemicals and cleaners they are not familiar with. This is a recipe for a serious accident, and Cole Harbour Place is now an unsafe workplace,” says Power.
The union has also confirmed that a contractor who is cleaning the building at night is being paid $10 an hour. CUPE represents about 45 custodians, security guards and operations staff at the HRM recreational facility.
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For further information:
Larry Power, CUPE National Representative,
(902) 454-6369 (o), (902) 225-2729 (cell)
John McCracken, CUPE Communications Representative,
(902) 455-4180 (o)