Disputes Inquiry Board makes recommendations for power plant labour dispute

Edmonton... A Disputes Inquiry Board appointed to help reach a collective agreement for 448 workers at three Alberta power plants, has made its recommendations in a report to Employment and Immigration Minister Hector Goudreau.

TransAlta Utilities Corporation and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 254 received copies of the report and have until September 15 to respond to the board’s recommendations.

“Both parties have had an opportunity to address their outstanding issues with the board over the past couple of months,” said Goudreau. “I encourage them to consider the recommendations on the table before making a final decision.”

If the recommendations are accepted by both parties, they are binding and will be used to form a new collective agreement. The agreement would cover planning, operating and maintenance staff at the Sundance, Keephills and Wabamun power plants.

If one or both parties do not accept the recommendations, the Alberta Labour Relations Board would conduct a vote of the party (or parties). If the recommendations are rejected after a vote, the parties can continue negotiating a settlement on their own or give a 72 hour notice to take strike or lockout action. Members of the union voted in favour of a strike in late June.

Under the Labour Relations Code, a Disputes Inquiry Board can be established to investigate the matters in dispute and to help two parties reach a settlement without resorting to a strike or lockout. Goudreau appointed Tim Christian to the one-person board on July 18. The recommendations for settlement are based on information provided to the board by both the union and the employer.