The unions representing striking city workers are accusing municipal administration of cutting off access to city councillors.

SA国际影视传媒淚t appears city administration will stop at nothing to smear its own workers in public, try to bully them into giving up their right to strike and negotiate a fair deal, and control what council hears and does,SA国际影视传媒� the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) North stated in a news release issued shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday.

On Feb. 15, union leaders invited Mayor Rebecca Alty and councillors to meet to discuss issues that union members are experiencing. The unions state that Alty refused, SA国际影视传媒渟aying it would be inappropriate for us to have discussions behind closed doors because it was a matter before council.SA国际影视传媒�

Then on Feb. 23, the UNW registered to speak at MondaySA国际影视传媒檚 council meeting about the strike/lockout and workersSA国际影视传媒� perspectives. However, that same day, the city clerk refused the presentation as well as a presentation from a member of the public, according to the union, adding that the clerk insisted that it would be inappropriate to make a public presentation on SA国际影视传媒減ersonnel mattersSA国际影视传媒� before council.

SA国际影视传媒淭he City of Yellowknife canSA国际影视传媒檛 have it both ways; if the strike/lockout is a matter before council, as the mayor states, then council needs to address it during council meetings or, at the very least, allow constituents to speak to it so they can have their voice heard,SA国际影视传媒� the unions stated in their news release. SA国际影视传媒淚f it is not, then the city should have no problem with councilors meeting with union leaders to hear what the workers they represent have to say.

SA国际影视传媒淚f council is not willing to discuss this with residents or union leaders behind closed doors or in public, how can they be accountable to residents? How will they make the most informed decisions? Is their only source of information the city administration?

SA国际影视传媒淲hen will the mayor and councilors visit picket lines and talk to striking and locked out workers? Are our elected city councilors accountable to the public, or to city administration? Was city council elected to represent all Yellowknife residents, or only repeat talking points from city management?SA国际影视传媒� the unions ask. SA国际影视传媒淲e encourage all Yellowknifers to reach out to their elected councillors and ask them to bring the city back to the negotiating table, rather than try to silence workers and force them back to work through arbitration.SA国际影视传媒�