Veteran labour mediator Vince Ready has been appointed by the province to act as a special mediator in the ongoing transit strike in the Cowichan Valley.
Jennifer Whiteside, minister of Labour, said on Sept. 5 that the strike, which began seven months ago, has been deeply disruptive to people living in the Cowichan Valley who rely on transit to get to work, go to school, attend medical appointments and access everyday services.
“This dispute has gone on for far too long," she said. "There’s a real urgency for the parties to get back to the table, find a fair resolution and get transit services back on the road. To help the parties resolve the ongoing labour dispute, I have appointed Vince Ready as a special mediator. Mr. Ready has vast experience in labour relations and is renowned for his success in helping employers and unions reach agreements."
Whiteside said the appointment of Ready provides a path for the parties to work through their differences, and she appreciates their willingness to engage in this process.
“Mr. Ready will begin work immediately to help the parties reach a settlement," she said.
"If a settlement is not reached between the parties within 10 days, the special mediator will submit recommendations to the minister and the parties. These recommendations will represent a fair and transparent path to resolving this dispute. It is in the best interest of both parties to give them careful consideration."
Unifor Local 114, which represents 44 transit operators, cleaners and mechanics, and eight members of Local 333, which represents eight HandyDART drivers, and their employer, Transdev Canada, are involved in the strike.
A statement from Unifor said the union is pleased to learn that Vince Ready has been appointed as a new special mediator in the the labour dispute.
"The union is looking forward to working with Ready, who has extensive knowledge and experience with prior transit strikes," Unifor said.
"Unifor thanks the government for its assistance in appointing the mediator. Under the terms of the agreement, the union and the employer will work with Ready for up to 10 days to reach a mediated settlement. The parties have agreed they won’t introduce new, or previously agreed to, bargaining proposals."
A statement from Transdev said the employer is committed to the process that will be led by Ready and remain hopeful that this will result in a fair resolution.
The strike began on Feb. 8 over wages and working conditions.
A tentative agreement was reached between the union and and employer, Transdev Canada, in April, but the workers overwhelmingly rejected it because the wage gap between them and transit workers in Victoria in the agreement was deemed unacceptable.
On July 6, the workers also rejected the recommendations of another provincially appointed mediator to end their long labour dispute as they said the mediator's recommendations still didn’t effectively deal with their concerns over wages and other issues.”
