Union outraged as lockout looms for workers at Kelowna Cab

The union representing some workers at Kelowna Cabs is hoping to put the brakes on a pending lockout.

MoveUP, or the Movement of United Professionals, is calling on Kelowna Cabs to rescind its notice to lockout unionized taxi dispatchers and call takers and to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the union confirmed it continues to fight Kelowna Cabs’ efforts to outsource dispatcher work to an overseas call centre.

“There is no justification for this type of action beyond greed, said union vice president Christy Slusarenko.

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“It’s particularly callous of Kelowna Cabs, in the middle of a pandemic, to decide that not only do they want to kill local jobs and local service, but the best way for them to achieve this is to bully their workers into submission by locking them out of their work,” she added.

“The people who know how to navigate around this community and understand the needs of the people in this community are the people who are from this community, not someone overseas who can’t even find Kelowna on a map.

Workers at Kelowna Cabs have been without a collective agreement since the previous one expired in May 2019.