Employees of Finning in B.C. could strike starting Monday

Employees of Finning Canada in British Columbia could go on strike as early as 2 p.m. Monday.

Friday afternoon the IAMAW union served Finning Canada in B.C. with 72 strike notice. The union has been trying to negotiate a new contract which would cover wages and benefits, duration of the agreement, subcontracting language and pensions.

According to post on the IAMAW website for British Columbia, the company proposed a four year agreement with wage increase of 2.75 per cent in the first year and 3 per cent, 3 per cent and 4 per cent in each subsequent year.

The union believes this is not enough considering the cost of living in B.C. has increased by 3.7 per cent over the last two years.

In a post on the IAMAW website, the union states “As many will know, we have served Strike notice in previous negotiations and were able to use this pressure to reach a settlement with no labour disruption. That is our goal. We plan to do all we can to resolve these negotiations without a Strike.”

If a strike happens, pick lines will go up at Finning locations in Tumbler Ridge, Fort St. John, and Fort Nelson along with other locations in B.C.