Unifor members remain out on the picket lines Wednesday as they fight for a better deal from the province.
With the strike getting into it’s second week, many members who are going on strike are starting to feel the financial pinch of not receiving a paycheque from the crowns.
Unifor member Jeffrey Allen said financially, it’s getting concerning.
“I know bills are going to start piling up right away, paying for groceries and everything, just necessities,” Allen said. “We’re okay now, We’ve got a little money set aside, but very, very soon it’s going to be concerning.”
Unifor members do receive $300 per week if they picket for at least four hours.
Allen, who works for SaskTel, said not being able to return to work until a deal is done is frustrating.
“It would be nice to try and move things forward, obviously we don;t want to be out here, we want to be serving the customer and doing our job,” Allen said. “It feels frustrating; it feels like things are stuck in a stalemate.”
Good news could be on the horizon. DirectWest has returned to the bargaining table with Unifor, and the union is looking to get back to the table with the Water Security Agency next.
Unifor spokesperson Chris MacDonald said while they are unsure of what will amount from the talks with DirectWest, a deal can’t be made without returning to the table.
“When we get a call from one of the crowns to come back to the table, then obviously that’s exactly what we do,” MacDonald said. “We’re back at the table (Wednesday) morning with DirectWest and we’re hoping that leads to further discussions with other groups, so we’re cautiously optimistic, but we’re ready to talk whenever.”
This comes as Unifor members from SaskPower joined SaskTel workers in front of the SaskTel building near Regina’s airport.
Striking SaskPower members have blockaded the SaskTel building near the Regina airport. #skpoli #mycrowns pic.twitter.com/V8OMcs4PW3
— Unifor Canada (@UniforTheUnion) October 9, 2019
On Tuesday when SaskTel employees were blocking out managers from the call centres in both Regina and Saskatoon they were warned an injunction could be filed against them.
Unifor members are not happy with the current offer from the province on the table of a five percent increase in pay over the next five years.
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{Files from Ryan McNally}
