Statement from Williams Lake Mayor Kerry Cook:
For the first time, the unionized employees of the City of Williams Lake have chosen to go on strike. The Mayor and Council consider the action unfortunate and designed to inconvenience our citizens but respect our employees right to do so.
With the agreement of the City and the Union, the Labour Relations Board has issued an Essential Services Order which will protect services necessary to protect our citizens’ health, safety and welfare during the strike. If necessary, the City will apply for amendments to the order.
Clearly our citizens will be inconvenienced. For example, with Spring Break on the horizon, the Union’s actions have lead to the shutdown of all programmes at the Cariboo Memorial Centre. We regret this.
The Mayor and Council also regret that the Union has chosen to undertake a campaign of personal insults and misinformation, attacking city management, our negotiators and the Council.
We do not know if the Union’s tactics are having the desired effect. We do know that the feedback the Mayor and Council have been receiving has been overwhelmingly positive.
With regard to our management staff who are working hard to maintain essential services and to the City’s negotiating committee, they are doing a remarkable job under very trying circumstances and are having to endure inexcusable personal insults from the Union.
Management and our negotiating committee have the full and unqualified support and confidence of the Mayor and Council.
Before engaging in these personal insults against people doing their job, the Union should remember that at the end of this strike, we all have to work together again. Needless antagonism is uncalled for.
Unfortunately the Union has chosen to publish untruths and misleading statements. We will publish bulletins as necessary to rebut the Union’s falsehoods as necessary and they will appear on the City’s website.”
3 comments:
What insults? Is she just making things up? Shouldn't politicians have thicker skin?
I too am curious about insults?
Reading both sides media releases, as bias as they are, Im not seeing any real "personal" insults.
The City should have had this deal done back when the workers contract expired instead of dragging thier feet.
And after reading the raises managment has recived, how can the City not just get this over with?
Stop it!! All of you!! Stop acting like children who are not getting their way! There are things being said that will cause rifts that will NEVER heal! Doesn't anyone see that? I have one thing to say to Kerry Cook: rainbows and unicorns won't work. Don't say you respect the workers on one hand and then stab them in the back when they turn around. Grow up and settle it before it's too late. As a taxpayer, I dread the outcome; and by that I mean, how many dedicated, hard-working employees will leave after it's done because of your lack of action and leadership?
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