REGINA—Employers have called off contract talks after they steadfastly refused to move off of a government-imposed wage freeze.

“Work-to-rule” job action is scheduled to begin Monday at 12:01 a.m., with escalation planned for the end of the week.

“Picket lines are our last resort, but we’ve said from the start that wage freezes were simply not fair,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Considering the Premier gave himself a 2.3% raise this year, Crown workers’ demands are more than reasonable.”

Nearly 5,000 Unifor members from SaskTel, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SecurTek, DirectWest, SaskWater, and the Water Security Agency will begin the united job action across Saskatchewan on Monday. The job action will look different in every workplace, but workers will perform the minimum standard required to do their job safely. In most cases that involves refusing overtime and ignoring performance targets set by the employer.

If an agreement cannot be reached before Friday, October 4 at 12:01 a.m., Unifor members from all seven bargaining units will commence a strike.

Unifor says that negotiations have been especially frustrating because the rationale for applying the government mandate to the Crowns sector is deeply flawed.

“The government insists that wage freezes are necessary for the provincial operating budget—but that’s not how Crown workers’ wages are funded,” said Dias. “Crowns are self-funded entities, and the government should stop pretending otherwise.”

Dias added “Scott Moe’s salary, on the other hand, does come from the provincial budget.”

TORONTO–Unifor members at Local 1090 have secured an agreement with the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCG) that will assist General Motors (GM) and auto parts supplier workers in Oshawa to transition to good jobs at three unionized workplaces within the region. The agreement comes in the absence of a government strategy for automotive and parts supplier manufacturing workers that prevents employers from moving jobs outside of Canada.

“Great Canadian Gaming has come through for our members at a critical moment,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “This deal brings us one step closer to preserving the quality of life of hard-working people affected by the GM assembly line closure in Oshawa.”

The agreement comes as Unifor continues to make gains on all fronts with GM and auto parts supplier employers in Oshawa to secure better transition conditions for workers facing job losses. Negotiations to date include securing enhanced severance for parts supplier workers, funding for an action centre that provides workers with resources to secure new employment, and financial support for job retraining. The provisions of the agreement between Unifor Local 1090 and GCG includes preferential consideration of employment for Unifor members at Casino Woodbine, Casino Ajax/Pickering, and Great Blue Heron Casino.

“We’ve laid the groundwork for highly-skilled workers in Oshawa to continue to live in their community and transition to good casino jobs,” said Corey Dalton, Unifor Local 1090 President. “With so much at stake for workers and their families we applaud employers like Great Canadian Gaming who will rise to the occasion.”

As manufacturing jobs move south and overseas, Unifor continues to press political leaders at all levels of government for a much-needed joint strategy to protect workers in the automotive and parts supplier industries.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.