Adam Prudhomme
Editor
A labour dispute among union staff and management at Lennox and Addington Interval House has resulted in a labour disruption, which began just after 2 p.m. this afternoon.
Sue Weir, executive director of L&A Interval House, released the following statement.
“This is a public information message from Lennox Addington Interval House that on Friday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m., we will be experiencing a labour disruption. We are disappointed that conciliation did not result in an agreement with our local bargaining unit. Our services remain open and we are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our clients. We will keep the community updated on our website and social media channels. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.’
“There will be no interruption of services,” Weir told the Beaver. “We have a contingency plan in place that will make sure our vulnerable women and kids have access to shelter and it won’t disrupt our transitional housing programs or our outreach.”
A strike vote was held among unionized staff members about a month ago, which gave management time to have a plan in place for the expected work stoppage at 2 p.m. on Friday.
“We’ll have the managers managing the shelters in the interim of the strike and we actually have a couple of managers from other shelters who are offering to assist,” said Weir. “Lots of manager teams in our sector came up through up the system and have great experience in terms of the frontline work. So the frontline work will continue on, just with different folks.”
Women experiencing domestic violence can continue to call the shelter’s hotline at 613-354-1010 or contacting their non-urgent text line at 613-449-1080. The shelter is located at 174 Centre St. N in Napanee.
Staff at Interval House is represented by Unifor Local 414. The current collective agreement has been expired for more than a year now. According to Unifor Local 414, the approximately 20 workers at the shelter are seeking ‘the same or similar processes and benefits that sister agencies in neighbouring communities have, aiming to address issues of representation, disciplinary actions and job postings.’