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Frustrated by lack of progress at the bargaining table, a group of professional engineers may soon withdraw services from key infrastructure projects such as Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass as part of their dispute with the Province of Ontario.
The Professional Engineers Government of Ontario (PEGO), the union representing Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors employed by the Ontario Public Service (OPS), says that progress in collective bargaining with the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) continues to be stalled.
On October 18 during a mediator-assisted bargaining session, TBS representatives presented a substantially unchanged offer that does not address the resourcing challenge within the OPS to support Ontario’s infrastructure plans.
“The intransigence of Treasury Board negotiators continues to be frustrating and inexplicable to our members. Its latest proposal runs directly counter to the needs of Ontario’s infrastructure development and maintenance agenda,” said PEGO president, Nihar Bhatt, P.Eng. “Without proper investment in Ontario’s vital engineering and surveying functions, this government’s key infrastructure priorities cannot be met on a cost-effective and timely basis.”
According to the union, the difference between PEGO and TBS bargaining positions is a very small fraction of Ontario’s annual engineering spending of $1 billion and an even smaller fraction of the $20 billion in overall infrastructure costs spent by Ontario every year. A deal is possible and PEGO says it would strongly prefer this, but to do so, it says TBS needs to do much better, recognizing the value of Ontario’s engineering and land surveying expertise.
PEGO says it has provided the Treasury Board with an analysis showing that PEGO members earn at least 30 to 50 per cent less than they could earn in the broader Ontario market for their skills by working for municipalities, other government agencies, or in the private sector. PEGO says it is deeply concerned about the challenge Ontario faces in recruiting and retaining expert engineering and land surveying staff. Mounting vacancies could result in impacts and delays on key priorities of the government, including Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass, and others – some of which have been recently designated as priority projects for construction. The union stated: “It is important to note that successful construction is a result of strong planning and design work in the early stages of complex infrastructure projects – work that PEGO’ engineers and land surveyors are engaged in.”
Added Bhatt: “The latest proposal from the Treasury Board negotiators is not getting us any closer to a fair deal. Instead, the current proposal ignores the pleas of OPS engineering and land surveying managers for adequate resources as well as the mountain of evidence showing that Ontario will continue to lose highly skilled engineers and surveyors as they find higher-paying opportunities with other levels of government or the private sector. It will continue to be tough for OPS managers to hire the excellent engineers and surveyors that it needs.”
In the statement, PEGO says it stands ready to negotiate for a fair deal, but the next step rests with the Treasury Board negotiators to bring back to the table a significantly improved offer.
“Meanwhile, the union’s legal work-to-rule action will remain in place, and will shortly escalate to the withdrawal of labour by select PEGO represented employees. While this labour dispute will impact the delivery of Ontario’s key infrastructure commitments and the management of existing infrastructure and operations, PEGO is ensuring its strike is both tightly focused and responsible, reflecting PEGO’s commitment to the people of Ontario and our members’ preference to bargain in good faith towards a new contract that addresses the critical shortage in engineering and land surveying expertise in the OPS.” |
