Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press Published Thursday, June 9, 2022 3:23 PM EDT Last Updated on Thursday, June 9, 2022 3:24 PM EDT
A union representing SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. engineers has filed a complaint with the national labor board alleging bad faith bargaining after a subsidiary ordered workers to return to the office full-time with one working-day notice.
On June 2, Candu Energy Inc. forced all employees to return to work from last Monday, a requirement that the Society of Professional and Associate Engineers (SPEA) says is equivalent to a bargaining tactic amid a rotating strike launched on 29 May at the Darlington Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario. plant, which Candu is renovating.
In a copy of the note obtained by The Canadian Press, SNC Executive Vice President Bill Fox reminds workers that a hybrid work model proposed to begin on September 12 is “on the table,” meaning that the sudden “full-time” ad. Office work policy may change when negotiations are completed. “
Union spokeswoman Denise Coombs said SNC-Lavalin’s sudden move to bring about 900 engineers, scientists and technicians back to the office five days a week has made them struggle to make ends meet after more than two years of remote work. This is an unfair employment practice given the context of the negotiation, according to the union’s presentation to the Canada Labor Relations Board.
“We all knew people would need time to reorganize their lives, take care of the kids, get back to the city, all that stuff,” Coombs said in an interview.
Both sides had agreed on September 12 as the start date for the hybrid work, he said. The key points of the discussion were whether it should be three days a week or two and a half days on average, as well as salary, benefits and whether the union would be allowed to publish certain internal documents.
The union received an offer for a collective bargaining agreement at a June 2 meeting, where the company also informed it of its imminent note back in the office, Coombs said.
“The clear implication was that if SPEA did not accept Candu’s June 2 offer, Candu would retaliate and force employees to return to the office with just over one business day notice and five days a week. “, says the presentation.
“We were blown away,” Coombs said.
SNC spokesman Harold Fortin said the company hopes to reach a “fair, equitable and competitive agreement” with Candu workers, who have been renovating reactors at the Darlington nuclear power plant.
“With the changes in provincial restrictions, people are getting used to being together indoors and it’s time to get back to the physical workplace,” he said in an email.
Fortin cited collaboration, training, and the integration of new hires among the benefits of returning to a shared workspace.
The Montreal-based company declined to comment on the collective bargaining agreement, which expired on December 31.
Tensions between the SNC and the union have led Ontario Power Generation and Bruce Power to warn that they will have to consider “alternative agreements” if the two sides cannot offer “certainty” in their services.
“This letter should not be taken as a support for either party, as we respect the collective bargaining process and at the same time expect to be treated as customers, not as a bargaining chip.” said OPG CEO Ken Hartwick and Bruce Power CEO Michael Rencheck. a letter to SNC and the union dated Tuesday and obtained by The Canadian Press.
The Crown Provincial Corporation owns the Darlington Nuclear Power Plant and SNC provides services to Bruce Power, including the ongoing reactor renovation at the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant on Lake Huron.
Between 30 and 70 daily Candu workers have stopped the work of about 700 on strike rotation, the union said.
“We are now preparing for a major dispute,” said union spokeswoman Michelle Duncan. “We are planning a full-fledged climb.”