Union says Alberta Safeway workers might have to return raises

A wage quality betwixt Safeway and immoderate of its Alberta employees could extremity with immoderate workers returning wealth to the institution according to their union.

In a ailment to Alberta’s Labour Relations Board, UFCW Local 401 says an arbitrator ruled successful its favour connected a wage increase.

That summation was for top-rated and over-scale workers. The national says that’s astir 3,700 employees oregon much than fractional its Alberta workforce.

It says Safeway filed a judicial reappraisal and the determination was overturned to a little wage raise.

“They gave them a 5 per cent increase, present Safeway is trying to instrumentality that away,” UFCW Local 401 president Thomas Hesse said. “So employees are conscionable similar members of the public. Their wages are not keeping up with inflation.”

Now, the national says Safeway is considering having workers who received the rise wage backmost the difference.

The national says it’s hard to get an nonstop fig due to the fact that of antithetic hours and wages, but claims each worker would person to repay thousands of dollars.

“The determination was overturned successful portion due to the fact that of inaccurate and irrelevant accusation submitted by UFCW 401,” Sobeys, Safeway’s genitor company, told Global News successful a statement.

“As a result, we are acting connected the result of the judge’s determination nevertheless we bash judge determination is simply a way guardant that volition conscionable the needs of our teammates.  We privation to enactment with Local UFCW 401, and we person made ourselves disposable to conscionable with the union, arsenic soon arsenic they are capable to, truthful that we tin resoluteness this substance together.”

Global News asked Sobeys whether oregon not employees volition person to instrumentality wages. That question was not answered.

UFCW Local 401’s ailment asks that Safeway beryllium ordered to retreat their wage simplification threat.