Alberta Index - LABOUR: Union tells Alberta government to “stay out” of Calgary ambulance dispute

LABOUR: Union tells Alberta government to “stay out” of Calgary ambulance dispute

(AlbertaIndex, July 24, Tuesday) --- Citing the need for government to respect the basic rights of paramedics, the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) has told the provincial government to stay out of the dispute between Calgary city and its ambulance personnel.

In a letter to Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry Iris Evans, AFL President Gil McGowan said the minister should “not … step blindly into the paramedics' dispute in Calgary.”

He wrote: “We urge the Minister not to use government powers to keep paramedics on the job. There is a lot more at stake here than the City of Calgary’s budget."
            McGowan defended the strike decision taken by the paramedics as their right to strike “is the only way workers can gain fair contracts.”
            He said that binding arbitration in Alberta has consistently failed to meet any standard of fairness for workers.
            “If, despite our best advice, the Minister overrides paramedics’ basic rights, then we will be holding both the settlement process and the people involved to close scrutiny,” says McGowan. “The Minister needs to absolutely ensure that any settlement realistically deals with the current labour market conditions and cost-of-living increases in Calgary.
            “Anything less would simply constitute the province tying workers’ hands at the bargaining table and shielding the City of Calgary from the consequences of its unrealistic bargaining strategies.”
            The AFL President has accused the city of engaging in “lowball bargaining” and pretending that city’s housing crisis and inflation are not a serious problem for its employees.
            “In our communication with the Minister, we provided her with four good reasons not to intervene,” said McGowan. “We can think of no good reason for her to do so.”

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