OTTAWA, Jan. 20, 2012 /CNW/ - As a result of a decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, a lock-out imposed by the employer of 10 security guards at the Ottawa Court House will end.
The guards, who are employed by Inkas Security Services, joined the United Steelworkers union to recover the terms of employment they had before Inkas took over from the previous security company at the Court House. They have been locked out since October 3, 2011. When negotiations for a first collective agreement broke down, the Employer made an offer of a 25-cents-per-hour increase, conditional on the workers giving up their rights to union representation.
The guards are paid low wages, and with Inkas have no pension or benefits. The union is attempting to recover the benefits and pension plan they had with their previous employer.
As a result of the employer's actions during bargaining, the board ordered the settlement of the first collective agreement by binding arbitration.
"The board made the right decision," said Steelworkers Staff Representative David Lipton. "Employees have the right to join a union and engage in collective bargaining to improve their working conditions. In this case, they are merely trying to get back the modest benefits they had before Inkas came in and made the low bid."
David Lipton, 613-859-8403, [email protected]
Share this article