With conciliation set to start Friday in an attempt to end the month-long strike against the Town of Cochrane, Timiskaming-Cochrane New Democratic MPP John Vanthof spent Wednesday on the picket line.
Sixty non-management workers have been off the job since July 31st. The defining issue is money.
Vanthof points out that his party’s position has always supported the right to organize and the right to withdraw services.
“There’s no such thing as an easy strike” he remarks,” but municipal strikes are a really tough one because deep down, everyone involved has the town’s best interests at heart.”
Vanthof says the same holds true for the municipality. He also criticizes the municipality’s use of replacement workers.
“It almost always lengthens the process, embitters the process and in the end, no one really gains anything from it.”
The New Democrat notes that his party has always tried to have legislation enacted to prevent the use of what he and others call scabs.
Here is the audio of our interview with John Vanthof:
