The Albert Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) have made their voices heard on whether they wish to go on strike, with an 80% voter turnout. Of those voters, 90.1% of them voted for a strike.
Union President Guy Smith stated that he has no intention of immediately calling for a strike and that he hopes that talks with the province can resume.
“We do not want to use the clear strike mandate, but we will if necessary. And our members can take confidence in knowing that we are fully ready and prepared to support them in the event of a strike,” said Smith.
The AUPE covers many ranges of industries, including police departments, wildfire firefighters, and more. Not all services would go on strike, services required for public safety (e.g., police force) would remain operational.
The strike vote is valid for 120 days after the day of the vote, and workers only need to give a 72-hour notice before they walk out.
Wages have been at the core of the dispute between the province and the union. According to the union, they asked for a 24 per cent wage increase over the next 4 years. The province responded with an offer less than half of the requested rate, with an 11.5 per cent increase.
