The Chief Administrative Officer with the CRD says it is not a fair statement to say that they are not willing to negotiate with striking employees.
Murray Daly says they have reached out to the union and asked them to come back to the bargaining table.
“Like we’ve said all along we want a fair deal for our workers but we have to make sure it’s fair to the taxpayers as well, and it’s just the balance for this kind of strike.”
Daly says that he doesn’t think that there is that big of a gap.
“I think what they were asking for, when they talk about inflationary protections, is just something that, that’s hard to agree to. They’re asking for CPI protection around wage negotiations and that’s just too much of an unknown for the Regional District to commit to. They can come and negotiate a fair wage rate, then we know with certainty what we’re paying everybody every year for when we’re building our financial plans going forward right, so I don’t think we’re worlds apart,”
Daly says he feels they can hammer out a deal relatively quickly if they can get back to the bargaining table, adding that he wants the employees back to work.
“We recognize that our employees deserve a fair wage and something that affords them some protections. They deserve to be fairly compensated, they’re good dedicated employees and I care about them as, in my position I care about my employees and I want them back to work, but we need to find something that is not only fair to the employees at a compensatory level but that is fair to the taxpayer.”
As for the impact of the strike, he says the main library remains closed and they are still just offering curbside pickup at others, and planning inquiries and building inspections are slower than normal as just the managers are working in those areas.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
