Unifor national president Lana Payne called it a ‘historic strike’ for the union that highlights the need for tougher labour laws that protect collective bargaining.
After spending almost 10 months on the picket line, Unifor members at Best Theratronics in Kanata have unanimously agreed to a four-year contract.
Unifor, which represents the manufacturing workers of Local 1541, met with company representatives on Friday. The two sides reached a tentative agreement on Saturday and ratified the agreement on Sunday, the union said.
The contract gives wage increases in each year of the agreement, adding up to 11 per cent, with increases of three per cent in the first three years and two per cent in the final year.
As of Friday, only 16 of the 44 Unifor workers on the original picket line remained. The others have moved on to new jobs because they can’t survive on strike pay of $300 a week, plus a $200 top-up from the union local, according to the union.
Three of the strikers are expected to return to work Monday, while the rest have been told they are recalled March 10, said Jan Malek, a national representative for Unifor.
All of the workers who went on strike May 1 will be recalled, she said.
Unifor national president Lana Payne called it a “historic strike” for the union that highlights the need for tougher labour laws to protect collective bargaining.
“I’m so proud of these members, and also of the many Unifor locals and community members for being there every night and day on this picket line,” said Payne in a statement.
“In this dispute, we stood strong and showed that no amount of intimidation will break our solidarity. With the support of our union, we bargained a good collective agreement that recognizes the value of the work we do,” said Unifor Local 1541 president Steve LaBelle in a statement.
Evening Update
The strike has been a long and bitter one. According to Unifor, the workers have seen an average annual wage increase of 1.1 per cent over the past 16 years and Best Theratronics offered the workers a two-year contract with no pay increases, plus an additional $25 for safety glasses.
In a May 18 email, Suthanthiran rebuked the striking workers, saying the recent challenges at the company were “unfortunate, but predictable Canadian way of Life,” (sic) and suggested he planned to expand his manufacturing operations in India, Europe and the United States.
Unifor filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board in June. The hearing for the union’s original complaint was in November, but the union has not received a response, said Malek.
“It sends a bad message to workers,” she said.
Unifor also appealed to federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Steve MacKinnon, since the striking workers were employed in a federally-regulated industry, said Malek.
The members of Unifor Local 1541 manufacture medical equipment used in cancer treatment. Best Theratronics produces and maintains external beam therapy units, self-contained blood irradiators and cyclotrons. In 2021, Suthanthiran said the company’s products were used by more than 2,000 cancer centres globally, but none in Canada.
Suthanthiran bought the company from MDS Nordion in 2007 for a reported $15 million. He has claimed he invested more than $100 million U.S. in facility improvements, new machine tools and new product developments.
Suthanthiran has argued that the company has been losing money and its markets are being eroded by international competition.
“Financially, the loss has been a hit when you’re on the picket line for 10 months. We believe this could have been settled long ago,” said Malek. “The company refused to come to the bargaining table until January. The government should have stepped in.”
It appeared that Unifor and representatives for Best Theratronics had come to an agreement earlier this month, but Suthanthiran asked for new conditions before agreeing to sign a contract, said Malek.
Suthanthiran’s conditions included that workers end the strike, but not return to work for an unspecified period of time while non-union workers were allowed into the plant on March Road, she said.
“All of a sudden, the goalposts got moved. The law says companies have to bargain. They can’t attach conditions to it. When you end a strike, the reason is to get workers back to work.”
