Ford moves to prevent strike by power workers

TORONTO — The Ontario government is planning an emergency session next week to pass legislation that would prevent power workers from going on strike.

The Progressive Conservative government says it will recall the legislature on Monday afternoon — a week after the house rose for the Christmas break — to stave off the labour action involving some 6,000 workers at Ontario Power Generation.

The government has said a strike could cause power outages in as little as a week.

Notice of a strike came late Friday, a day after the members of Ontario’s Power Workers’ Union rejected a contract offer from OPG, putting them in a legal strike position as of Dec. 26.

In a letter to OPG obtained by The Canadian Press, union president Mel Hyatt said members will withdraw their services in 21 days.

Earlier Friday, Energy Minister Greg Rickford said the 21day delay in withdrawal of services is mandated because the union deals with nuclear assets. He said the government was prepared to take any steps necessary to safeguard the province’s power supply.

“This is a slightly different set of circumstances than most,” he said. “There’s a very technical process to the wind down of these 10 units.”

Some units would start to shut down about a week into the process, the minister said. “Seven to 10 days would be our first potential scenario for an interruption,” he said.

Not all the union members involved are nuclear workers but the others have agreed to follow the same 21-day timeline in case of a job action, he said.

Rickford would not say whether power workers should be designated as providing an essential service under law, like doctors and police, which would prevent them from striking down the line.

The union has been without a deal since March 31.