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Tofino reaches ‘tentative agreement’ with municipal staff

CUPE 118 workers voted in favour of a strike action on June 9
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(Westerly file photo)

Two days of mediation have led to a “tentative agreement” between the district of Tofino and municipal staff, according to a June 29 announcement from CUPE 118, which represents Tofino’s municipal workers.

“We are confident that the agreement reached responds to the mandate from our members,” said CUPE 118 President Stacy Watton in a statement released on June 29. “It was the hard work and dedication of members that enabled us to reach a fair deal that supports workers, and the important services they provide to the community.”

District workers voted for a strike action on June 9 and a mediation with the BC Labour Relations Board was scheduled for June 27 in hopes of resolving the dispute in time to handle the town’s peak tourist season.

“We are happy to move forward with the District on a strong working relationship that has us working together to welcome travellers from around the world to this great community,” Watton said.

The two sides have been negotiating since November 2021, according to the announcement, which adds that details about the deal will not be made public until the tentative agreement is ratified by the union members and their employer.

“Benefits, hours of work, wages and affordability were priorities for workers, and these issues remained outstanding when the parties entered mediation on Monday,” the announcement reads.

“CUPE 118 members working for the District of Tofino provide vital public services to residents and visitors through infrastructure maintenance, childcare and pre-school, municipal administration, parks and recreation, water and utilities, building inspection, by-law enforcement and protective services, and planning.”

The District of Tofino released a statement shortly after CUPE’s assuring it is focused on supporting the health and safety of its staff and the town’s residents and is hopeful the agreement will be ratified in July.

“We are pleased to share that we have reached a memorandum of agreement with CUPE 118 that was unanimously supported by the representatives at the table for the employer and the union,” said Tofino’s Chief Administrative Officer Nyla Attiana. “The success of this process speaks to the strong relationships we have with our staff and we look forward to continuing to work together for many years to come.”



andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

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Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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