FortisBC employees back to work on Friday

“The lockout is over. Thank you for your support.” :  IBEW 213 Facebook release below –

“Early this morning FortisBC and the Union agreed to binding arbitration. And while that process begins, the 225 workers will be finally returning to work, to do what they do best, and that’s bring safe and reliable power to the homes in the southern interior of our great province.

The lockout lasted six months, that length of time without pay shows not only the strength of the principles of these workers but their dedication to the company they built. Though details have not been released and a final agreement is still to be decided by the arbitrator.”

FortisBC statement: Today, the IBEW 213 (electric) informed FortisBC that it has accepted the company’s invitation to move forward with Binding Interest Arbitration, bringing an end to the labour dispute.

“We are pleased that the union leadership has accepted our invitation,” said Michael Mulcahy, executive vice-president, human resources, customer service and corporate services. “This is a positive step. We’ll be welcoming our employees back in the coming days and now both parties can start to move forward.”

FortisBC employees will return to work beginning Friday, December 20, under the terms of the expired collective agreement. The Binding Interest Arbitration process will begin at a later date, with the outcome resulting in a new collective agreement.

Binding Interest Arbitration is an established labour practice, which sees a neutral third party resolve the outstanding issues between the two parties. The company invited the IBEW 213 (electric) to Binding Interest Arbitration on December 6. The union provided a counter proposal, which led to discussions and a final agreement on December 16.