Union for STC workers asks federal labour board to intervene

The provincial government did not follow proper processes when it announced the shuttering of the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) in this month’s budget, says the president of the union that represents the 224 workers who will lose their jobs at the end of May.

Eric Carr, president of Amalgamated Transit Union local 1374, said STC — despite being owned by the Saskatchewan government — is federally regulated because its buses cross provincial lines.

Under the Canada Labour Code, employers who lay off 50 or more people at the same time must give at least 16 weeks notice to the federal Minister of Employment and Social Development and the union.

Carr said he learned of the Saskatchewan bus company’s fate when the provincial budget came out on March 22. STC is set to shut down on May 31, which gave Carr and his members 10 weeks notice.

The union local has filed a complaint with the federal labour relations board, asking it to intervene.

“As part of the wind down of STC, appropriate steps have been taken in accordance with the Canada Labour Code. The 224 affected employees will receive fair treatment in accordance with corporate policies, provincial government spokeswoman Lisa Danyluk wrote in an emailed statement.

Many people in Saskatchewan have expressed outrage, arguing STC provides an essential service in rural areas and that the company was never supposed to be a money-making endeavour. Supporters of STC plan to hold a rally in Saskatoon on Friday at 12:15 p.m. in front of the provincial cabinet office on 22nd Street.