War at Wapasu: This Week Waged in YEG
As previously reported, we returned to the Alberta Labour Relations Board last Tuesday, hoping to stop Civeo from firing their hard-working employees to increase profits.
Despite our efforts, the Labour Board found for Civeo, and they were successful in their bid to end employment for workers on June 8th, 2023. The decision can be found HERE.
After countless days of effort and work, we are disappointed by the decision of the Board.
“The fight is not over! We will continue to support and advocate for our members,” said Linda Mariani, UFCW Local 401’s Northern Director. “We know the only way Civeo will do the right thing is through the strength and solidarity of people standing together.”
Wapasu workers are facing contract flipping by Civeo, a greedy employer that wants to cut their wages and benefits. This is an unfair and illegal practice that hurts workers and their families. Contact your political candidates and demand stronger labour laws to protect workers at gounion.ca/write-the-candidates. #WarAtWapasu #StopContractFlipping
This week we continued to apply pressure and make our presence known by having our truck and sign outside the Civeo office in Edmonton.
Our actions resulted in Civeo’s staff being told to work from home yesterday, which we take to mean that Civeo is uncomfortable with the morality of their position.
We are continuing to fight and will continue to use all legal avenues available to ensure all workers’ rights and protections are honoured.
We have hearing dates set in mid-August for our unfair Labour practice application and other dates held. We will continue to hold Civeo’s feet to the fire on all fronts, and we are also pursuing the grievances we filed on these matters.
If Civeo believes heavy-handed, union-busting tactics mean a free pass on doing the right thing. We are here to let them know that they are dead wrong.
As always, we will continue to push for fairness, transparency, and accountability for the workers at Wapasu. We know this is an incredibly difficult time, and we thank you for your perseverance, effort, and support.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chris O’Halloran at
587-999-6448 or cohalloran@ufcw401.ab.ca or Clayton Heriot at 780-742-4257 or cherriot@ufcw401.ab.ca.
Posted on: May 26,2023