Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour, has brought in a special negotiator to help settle the Emergency Communications Professionals labour dispute.
“I have appointed Vince Ready as a special mediator under the Labour Relations Code to work with the union, CUPE Local 8911, and the employer, Emergency Communications for British Columbia, to assist the parties in negotiating a renewed collective agreement.”
Ready will begin helping negotiations Saturday, ahead of the strike notice announced Friday for June 8 at 3:29 p.m. He will work with the parties for 10 days to help reach a settlement.
“I would like to thank Mr. Ready for agreeing to take on this important work. I am grateful to the parties, who jointly requested the appointment and have agreed to binding recommendations as part of their efforts to find a resolution,” said Whiteside in a statement.
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“I encourage both parties to work together with the special mediator, with urgency and determination, to reach a fair and timely agreement.”
CUPE 8911, which represents more than 700 emergency communications professionals, is happy to have Ready appointed to help with negotiations.
“We want to thank the government for recognizing the urgency of this situation and its assistance in appointing the special mediator, and we are ready to move forward with this process,” says CUPE 8911 President Donald Grant.