EDMONTON – Alberta’s largest union continues to speak out against the provincial government’s proposed legislation aimed at revoking its right to go to arbitration and instead enforcing the government’s own wage deal.
Bill 46 (Public Service Salary Restraint Act) would see the government impose a contract with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) that’s consistent with agreements already reached with Alberta’s doctors and teachers if a new deal isn’t reached by the end of January.
The four-year wage deal would see a zero per cent wage increase for the first two years, followed by a one per cent increase for the following two years.
Members of the AUPE – which represents almost 80,000 Alberta workers – rallied on the steps of the legislature Thursday afternoon, after coming together for a similar protest on Wednesday.
WATCH: AUPE members rally on steps of Alberta Legislature
Finance Minister Doug Horner told reporters the new wage deal must be in line with the multi-year wage freezes that Alberta doctors and teachers have already accepted.
“We did make a commitment to taxpayers that we would live within our means. We want to make sure that when we’re negotiating that’s what we’re doing. And it think it’s fair to the ATA, it’s fair to the doctors, that settlements in this realm will be of a similar nature,” said Horner on Wednesday.
The move comes after talks with the AUPE failed to result in a new deal. They have been in talks since March. The two sides were scheduled for arbitration in February.
AUPE president Guy Smith says the bill forces its members into a ‘take it or leave it’ situation.
“When the terms of the settlement are being legislated, that’s not negotiations,” said Smith. “Quite honestly, we had a fair process – a legal process – laid out between both parties to resolve this and that was to go to arbitration. Arbitration dates were set, and that’s how it should be resolved because that’s the legal process that both parties use.”
However, Human Services Minister Dave Hancock says the union needs to come to the table.
“What we’ve been talking about is something that’s a minimum for them, and so go directly to arbitration. Well, we have a promise to Albertans on a fiscal strategy of public sector wage restraint. We’ve made that promise and we’ve followed through on it with other public sector employees, so we have to follow through with AUPE,” he said Thursday morning.
Hanock said if negotiations are making progress, the January timeline could be extended.
“It basically says, ‘we’re not going to go to arbitration, there’s a timeframe to come to the table and negotiate an agreement by the end of January.’ If progress is being made it can be extended to the end of March, but if no agreement has come, then the agreement would be what’s in legislation.”
“It’s shameful, really,” said Smith. “I think it should concern all Albertans because our basic, fundamental bargaining rights have been taken away by legislation.”
The province also tabled a bill that will punish the union with steep fines and civil liabilities if it wages an illegal strike.
Bill 45 (Public Sector Services Continuation Act) increases the penalties for wildcat strikes and includes a provision that fines unions up to a million dollars a day once an abatement order is made by the court.
“Strikes in the public service have been illegal and are illegal. It’s not legal and it’s not legal for a reason. Those are areas where the public requires services – vulnerable people, protection of our communities, health care.”
Both bills passed first reading Wednesday afternoon.
The tabling brought an outpouring of anger from members of the AUPE, who continued to rally outside the legislature on Thursday afternoon.
(Watch: An AUPE video of its members protesting Bills 45 and 46 at the Alberta legislature on Wednesday).
With files from The Canadian Press
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