Image: Facebook
A last-minute tentative agreement between Brinks Canada and Unifor has kept Brinks employees off the picket lines.
The union representing Brinks employees in Ontario and British Columbia issued a strike notice on Sunday, after months of contract negotiations stalled.
Had the two sides not agreed to the tentative deal, most Brinks employees in those provinces (including 35 in Kelowna) would have started their strike Wednesday evening.
That, according to a statement on Brinks’ corporate website, would likely have meant the company wouldn’t have been able to provide armoured car services to its customers in the area.
A major sticking point during the collective bargaining process was Brinks’ crewing model, which forces both crew members assigned to a vehicle get out during drop-offs and pick-ups.
Unifor members said they felt unsafe under the “all off” system, since they had no one keeping watch, making them more vulnerable to an attack.
Neither Unifor or Brinks have released details about the tentative contract agreement, but Unifor is recommending its members vote to accept it. That vote, according to Unifor spokesperson Kathleen O’Keefe, will likely happen mid-week next week.
Brinks has said it believes the agreement is “fair and reasonable for both the company and our employees.”
Chris Parks, the president and general manager of Brinks Canada, said that, throughout the negotiating process, “the sustainability of our business and protection of jobs have been our chief concerns.”
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that will keep our valued employees on the job, maintaining critical service to our customers. If ratified, the agreement will help to protect our position within the Canadian marketplace,” Parks said.
Unifor has said the deal “positions our members well for the future,” and the union’s BC area director, Gavin McGarrigle, said that, while the negotiations were “tough,” he was “pleased that the union was able to reach a tentative contract that prioritized the needs of workers.”
All Biz Releases Stories
