Hydro Ottawa and striking union declare impasse in contract talks

The Hydro Ottawa headquarters on Hunt Club Road in Ottawa. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

Hydro Ottawa and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have agreed to enter into non-binding mediation to help resolve outstanding issues, on day 52 of a strike by approximately 400 employees.

The utility says after a month of negotiations and "progress made on key concerns" brought forward by the union, talks between Hydro Ottawa and the IBEW have reached an impasse.

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The union representing Hydro Ottawa workers began strike action on June 28 after workers rejected the utility's latest contract offer.

Hydro Ottawa says its last offer to the union is "very fair and very generous," providing a cumulative wage increase of 16.77 per cent over 5 years.

"There is also the potential for increases of up to 1 per cent over the final two years of the contract which would bring the cumulative increase to almost 18 per cent over the five-year term," Hydro Ottawa said in a statement.

"This last offer was one of four separate offers tabled to the union over the last month in hopes of ending the strike."

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has said safety concerns and staffing levels are some of the key issues in talks, including grievances surrounding sleep time, sick leave and health accommodations. The IBEW Local 636 has said low staffing levels are stretching workers, requiring them to work longer hours, especially during significant outage events.

Hydro Ottawa has said progress has been made on safety, benefits, allowances and premiums.

"While Hydro Ottawa is considered a private company, we are a heavily regulated business that provides an essential public service to our community and the residents of Ottawa," Bryce Conrad, president and CEO of Hydro Ottawa, said in a statement.

"That’s why we must - and are required to - act in the public’s interest. That includes negotiating a balanced and responsible agreement which recognizes our employees’ contributions and the impact on our customers’ electricity rates."

Hydro Ottawa has implemented a contingency plan during the strike to keep the electricity on for Ottawa residents and businesses.