Saskatoon: The Canadian Union of Public Employees filed unfair labour practice charges against the University of Saskatchewan for events that took place during and after a lengthy strike by CUPE 1975 members.
About 1,800 CUPE 1975 members walked off the job for 30 days in November to conclude a new collective agreement.
CUPE 1975 filed the unfair labour practice charges today. The union wants the labour relations board to investigate:
· the employer’s threat (made by its chief negotiator Greg Trew) that if CUPE Saskatchewan’s president Tom Graham participated in a news conference in December with representatives of the Concerned Academic Community, the employer would refuse to take the tentative agreement to the Board of Governors for ratification or implement the negotiated wage and benefit increases.
· the employer’s efforts to monitor and limit the union’s communications with members during the strike
· the employer’s attempts to undermine the union by communicating bargaining particulars directly with union members
CUPE cancelled its participation in the December news conference to avoid further disruption in collective bargaining, but it’s not prepared to allow the employer’s bullying tactics to escape scrutiny by the labour relations board.
“We hope this unfair labour practice application – and the Board of Governor’s decision to conduct an external review of labour relations at the university – will result in positive change,” says CUPE 1975 bargaining chair Brad McKaig, adding it is long overdue.
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For more information contact: Brad McKaig at (306) 229-6730 or (306) 249-1058
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