After a back and forth that has been ongoing since 2014, the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) issued another strike notice April 3 for employees with NWT Power Corporation (NTPC).
Workers will walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. on April 8 if no agreement is reached during negotiation talks this weekend, according to the union.
The notice was released during a rally for NTPC workers outside of the Jackfish power plant in Yellowknife.
“We want to make it clear that if we don’t get a deal, we will go on strike at midnight on Monday,” said Todd Parsons, president of the UNW.
The 50to 60 members that showed up to the UNW rally outside the power plant foreshadows the seriousness of the strike that will occur if talks this weekend continue to yield no results.
David Bob, president for Northern Territories Federation of Labour, said “everyone is fighting for the same cause.”
This is the second time this year the union has served strike notice for power corp. workers, with a previous strike called off at last minute on Feb. 11. GNWT employees, who were also about to strike, were spared further labour turmoil after the union and GNWT agreed to seek binding recommendations from mediator Vince Ready.
“It’s good to go into negotiations letting them know that we’re serious,” said Deon Hope, an employee with NTPC for 12 years.
“And if we don’t get something settled this weekend, we're not going to wait any longer."
