On-Strike Alberta Jail Guards Decline to Return to ‘Unsafe’ Workplace

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The Alberta jail guards and staff, which are on strike since almost four days now, have assured of not being prepared to return to a workplace they consider unsafe, regardless of a serious back-to-work order issued by the province. The wildcat strike has lead more than hundreds of correctional staff to walk off their job at nine different facilities in Alberta.

The job action particularly worsened over the weekend, with court sheriffs in Calgary and Edmonton and correctional workers from neighbouring Saskatchewan joining the strike in a show of solidarity. Hence, the municipal and RCMP officers, along with management at the correction facilities, had to abruptly step forward to compensate for the estimated 550 striking workers. The Alberta Deputy Solicitor General, Tim Grant, informed the media that business will be as usual in the province’s courts on Monday, while the RCMP and city police substitute the work of sheriffs who have joined the strike.

Deputy Premier, Thomas Lukaszuk, mentioned in a strongly worded statement that the province will not negotiate with the union representing the guards until and unless they return to work. The vice-president of Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, Glen Scott, asserted that the striking workers are waiting for the province to begin a dialogue with the jail guards. He stated that “it’s at the point now when someone has to take a break and leave the unit, some of those units are actually being left unmanned. That’s unacceptable.” Scott further added on Monday, that “there’s been an increase in assaults between inmates and on staff.”

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