With the painstaking job of negotiating hundreds of essential and emergency service agreements now taking centre stage, the 28 OPS mobilizers will be returning to their home workplaces
“I can’t say enough about the incredible work, dedication and resourcefulness our mobilizers have delivered on behalf of 34,000 OPS members since their work began in October, 2014. We owe them a huge thanks for jobs well done,” said Roxanne Barnes, chair of the central/unified bargaining team.
“Their hard work certainly captured the attention of the Premier and her government.”
Tom O’Neill, chair of the corrections bargaining team, reinforced that view.
“The work of our mobilizers has been outstanding,” he said. “They were a force to be reckoned with and they made it clear that improvements to staffing, training and equipment inside our correctional facilities is more urgent than ever. In particular, they brought the problem of increased violence and assaults inside our facilities to the public’s attention in such a way that our politicians can’t ignore the issue anymore.”
OPS locals will continue the work the mobilizers started, said OPSEU President, Smokey Thomas.
“As a result of the efforts started by our mobilizers, OPS locals have reached an engagement level seldom witnessed in the past,” he said. “There is a silent partner sitting at the bargaining table and it is the very strong strike mandate our members delivered last December. For that we can thank the work of our mobilizers, local executive committees and the members who delivered a resounding message to the employer.”
Related: OPS Bargaining 2014 Index Page