Council rejects offer to end transit strike with binding arbitration
Posted Feb 15, 2012 05:25:16 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There will be no binding arbitration in the contract dispute between Metro Transit employees and the city.
After spending nearly four hours behind closed doors, Halifax regional council rejected the arbitration offer, and instead accepted an offer from the province to bring its top conciliator to the table.
“Council had a very intense and in-depth discussion tonight, and we are now very clear in the direction that we will work through staff through the conciliation process that the province has offered,” said Mayor Peter Kelly, minutes after emerging from the lengthy in camera meeting Tuesday night.
Kelly says the province approached the municipality around noon on Tuesday to offer the services of Ken Zwicker, the head of conciliation services. He says HRM staff met with Zwicker later that afternoon.
Kelly says with the city and union still nearly $7 million apart on a new contract, going to arbitration represented too much of a risk to taxpayers.
“We understand it’s been hard and frustrating for everyone involved, the drivers, their families, the citizens, it’s been tough on everybody,” he said. “The fact is we have a responsibility to the taxpayers that we’re trying to work through. We believe we need to be very mindful of that point in order for us to come to a conclusion that is affordable and workable.”
Kelly wouldn’t say whether the vote to reject arbitration was unanimous.
The last round of negotiations, which were conducted with the help of a provincial conciliator, broke down after nearly 20 hours – but Kelly said he was hopeful Zwicker’s presence would result in a different outcome.
“He’s experienced, he’s the lead one for the entire province so I’m sure he has some expertise to help bring this to a resolve,” he said. “We believe this is an opportunity to bring this to a conclusion.”
No new talks have been scheduled yet.
Read the city’s press release confirming the council decision here.
