The strike may be over, but the battles are not. The B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the Steelworkers’ Union are bein…
The strike may be over, but the battles are not. The B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the Steelworkers’ Union are being taken to the Labour Relations Board by Tembec in the aftermath of the recent school strike, the CBC recently reported.
According to the CBC, Tembec alleged the law was broken when teachers set up pickets at two of its mills in the east Kootenays on October 19th. The obstruction forced the company’s Canal Flats and Elko sawmills to close for the day, as the 150 workers, members of the Steelworkers union, refused to go to work. The company claimed the closures cost $60,000.
“We’re very upset with what transpired,” the CBC reported Tembec spokesperson Tom Kirk as saying. “If we, for example, decided not to operate a shift because we were protesting something politically, the unions would be down our throats.”
The board will establish whether or not it was illegal to put up the pickets. If it was, Tembec could be at liberty to sue the unions, however, the company has yet to confirm if that is an option it’s willing to pursue.
Source: www.cbc.ca
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