No movement on Hydro Ottawa strike, union says

About 400 Hydro Ottawa workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are approaching two weeks on the picket lines after rejecting the latest offer from their employer and the union says there has been no movement from management since.

The strike began June 28. Employees on strike include trade, technical and inside workers, 74 per cent of whom voted to reject Hydro Ottawa's latest offer. Workers have been without a contract since March 31.

Safety concerns and staffing levels are some of the key issues, the union says, most recently citing grievances surrounding sleep time, sick leave, and health accommodations. The IBEW Local 636 says low staffing levels are stretching workers, requiring them to work longer hours, especially during significant outage events.

IBEW Local 636 business representative Mike Hall told CTV News Ottawa by phone Sunday that negotiations have been stalled for weeks.

"The last day of negotiations was May 25," he said. "We met with management June 21 to hear their latest offer, but I wouldn't call that negotiation. They gave us their offer and we took it back to the members who voted it down."

Hall said the union has reached out to a conciliator and is willing to negotiate but has not heard the same from Hydro Ottawa management. He added that while there has been no movement with Hydro Ottawa, he believes there has been some headway with local councillors on the issues.

The two sides are fairly close on wages, he said, but they remain further apart on issues like medical benefits and meal allowances. Hydro Ottawa's latest offer included a 13.6 per cent wage increase over four years, or an average of 3.4 per cent per year.

Hydro Ottawa's most recent public statement on Friday warned of slower response times for outages, which has been its public position since the strike began. 

"While response times may be slower than under normal operating circumstances, please be assured that we are making every effort to minimize the impact of any disruption on the customers we serve," a statement on Hydro Ottawa's website says. "As our crews enter communities to perform restoration work, please follow signage and be sure to keep a safe distance away. Safety of the public and our employees remain our top priority."

In a statement Monday morning, Hydro Ottawa reiterated its offer to the union.

"Hydro Ottawa believes that it has provided employees with a fair, responsible, and very competitive offer. The offer addresses its employees’ request for wage increases (13.6% over four years) - putting them in the top 10 in the province - as well as substantial increases in benefits, premiums and allowances. The offer also takes into consideration any impact on electricity rates, and balances that with the costs associated with further investments in strengthening the electricity grid," it said.

"Hydro Ottawa Limited’s employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) began strike action on Wednesday, June 28. While Hydro Ottawa presented a first offer on May 26, a revised offer was put forward to the union representatives on June 22, which was rejected by the IBEW membership on June 27. Hydro Ottawa's door has remained open and we welcome discussions with the IBEW."

A power outage affected hundreds of customers in the Baseline Road and Fisher Avenue area, south of the Experimental Farm, for much of the day Sunday. Area councillor Sean Devine said he was hoping to hear more from officials Monday about the outage.

Automated emails from Hydro Ottawa to CTV News said the outage was "equipment related."