Support staff at uOttawa set strike deadline after talks break down
Posted Oct 16, 2020 06:07:00 PM.
The support staff bargaining unit at the University of Ottawa (PSUO-SSUO) is ready to call for a full withdrawal of services if a new contract agreement can't be reached soon.
The union, which is part of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) has set a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m., Monday, October 19, after bargaining did not result in a tentative agreement, Thursday.
“The members of PSUO-SSUO have stood strong against the employer’s effort to strip health benefits and other provisions, with 80% of the membership rejecting a final offer vote forced by the university in June,” says said Marcelle Desmornes, President of the District 35 OSSTF/FEESO PSUO-SSUO Bargaining Unit. “The bargaining team has no intention of bringing a tentative agreement to the membership that does not respect the contribution they make to this institution.”
“In the midst of a pandemic, and in an environment of artificial wage constraint caused by the Ford government’s Bill 124, it’s extremely disappointing that this employer would seek to further erode the conditions under which these valuable workers are employed,” adds Harvey Bischof, Provincial President of OSSTF/FEESO.
Over 1,300 employees, members of the PSUO-SSUO Bargaining Unit, are set to engage in a full withdrawal of services on Monday if a tentative deal is not reached.
