MBS Radio employees in Saint John are just days away from reaching their 18 month-mark on the picket line.
“Certainly it wasn’t our intention to break any records, but we are currently the longest active strike in the federal sector in Canada,” says radio announcer Gary Stackhouse.
Seven employees walked off the job and onto the picket line last year. They say they are fighting for what is simply a fair and livable wage, but so far their wish hasn’t been granted, forcing them to cut some of their picket hours and pick up extra work to stay afloat.
“The strike pay is there for us, but some of us, out of necessity, after a year and a half, have actually had to pick up some extra work and that of course has helped us as we head towards the Christmas season as well,” says radio announcer Paul Jenson.
“Really, it’s a little disappointing to be here for a second Christmas,” says Stackhouse.
“We originally thought that once the company saw that we were willing to go through a winter and go through a year, that they would realize we’re not going away.”
Those on strike say only one deal was ever placed on the table, back in November 2012. The workers declined the offer, saying it wasn’t a fair one.
But MBS Radio says that simply isn’t true and that the company has offered the employees more than just one deal.
“That’s not negotiating. MBS has to learn the art of negotiating, sit down and bargain in good faith with us,” says radio announcer Rob Weir. “Let us all get back to work.”
“They just can’t sit there and not do something. They’re going to have to deal with this sooner or later,” says Stackhouse.
“There will be an end in sight, whether it takes two more weeks, or two months, or another four months, the seven of us will stick together and see it through.”
Christmas Day will mark 18 months since the strike began, but workers say they were in negotiations months before walking off the job, making the labour dispute a two-year ordeal.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Dunbar
