Protest planned in Edmonton to oppose Alberta government involvement in support staff labour dispute

Two days aft the Alberta authorities mandated the Edmonton Public School Board and the national representing its enactment unit to enactment with a quality enquiry committee arsenic their labour struggle continues, a protestation is expected to instrumentality spot to decry the move.

Until the state forced the 2 sides to enactment with a quality enquiry board, a determination made astatine the EPSB’s request, much than 3,000 acquisition enactment unit were acceptable to onslaught connected Thursday. As a effect of the provincial government’s actions, workers volition not beryllium capable to onslaught for astatine slightest 30 days now.

In a connection issued Wednesday night, the Canadian Union of Public Employees confirmed that CUPE 3550 members volition instrumentality portion successful what it describes arsenic a “political protest” connected Thursday “in absorption to the provincial government’s debased wage mandates and interference successful corporate bargaining.”

CUPE did not accidental wherever oregon what clip of time the protestation volition instrumentality place.

Educational adjunct Mandy Lamoureux is the president of the section and indicated the national realizes the protestation volition interaction students and families.

“Members did not travel to this lightly,” she said successful a statement. “They bash not consciousness this authorities is proceeding their pleas to assistance alternatively of hinder. They request a just statement for themselves and for the students they serve.

“Members person to bash what is close successful their heart, and for the immense bulk of them that means lasting up for themselves and their students. It’s not just for those students slightest capable to advocator for themselves to beryllium the victims of backing shortfalls. We can’t support watching nationalist acquisition autumn apart.”

CUPE said the quality enquiry committee volition simply bring astir mediation erstwhile again and that it believes it is an effort to hold immoderate imaginable occupation enactment and that it volition demoralize its members.

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Global News has reached retired to the offices of Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides and Jobs, Economy and Trade Minister Matt Jones for a effect to the planned protest. This nonfiction volition beryllium updated erstwhile a effect is received.

Jason Foster, a prof astatine Athabasca University who specializes successful labour past and policy, told The Canadian Press this week that helium besides believes the province’s determination is simply a “delay tactic” and noted that the 2 sides successful immoderate labour quality already are required to spell done a mediation process earlier immoderate onslaught oregon lockout tin begin.

“The enquiry committee is going to bash thing much than what a mediator does,” Foster said. “It’s going to conscionable with some parties, find retired people’s positions, and past they’re going to constitute up a study — penning up what they deliberation a solution mightiness be.

“All we’re doing is replicating what the parties person already gone through.”

The provincial authorities besides brought successful a quality enquiry committee past period erstwhile enactment workers astatine nationalist and Catholic schools successful Fort McMurray were poised to strike.

— with files from The Canadian Press’s Jack Farrell