Canadian casino agrees mediation date to meet workers

Gateway Casinos in Kamloops will meet for mediation with unionised workers from July 9th-11th to end the ongoing strike.

Canada.- July 9th-11th are key dates for the conflict between Kamloop’s Gateway Casinos and unionised workers as they have agreed to meet for mediation with both a mediator and BC Labour Relations Board. Though they still need the BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU) to confirm the mediator’s presence, director of public relations with Gateway, Tanya Gabara, says the company expects it to happen.

Initially, Gateway wanted to meet from July 4th-6th, but the BCGEU notified the company that they “were no longer available” to attend a mediation this week. Nonetheless, its spokesperson Erin Sikora says the union has agreed to meet for mediation talks from July 9th to July 11th and is only waiting for the mediator’s confirmation.

“From Gateway’s perspective, we want to get our unionized employees back to work. We remain committed to mediation whether that’s this week or next week. Bargaining is a process and we can’t get to a mutually agreeable contract if we don’t come to the table. So, we’re committed to doing that,” Gabara said.

The unionised workers have been demanding wage increases of 62 per cent as they’ve been without a contract since September 2017. However, the company says the demands “weren’t reasonable” but was rebutted by the BGCEU, which said they are not as large as they seem in the context of their current low wages.