By Rick Pusiak
A manager at Cecil Facer youth detention facility fraternized with OPSEU pickets last week after he had been drinking. This resulted in a tense situation between labour and management, when the union, citing health and safety issues, refused to work for almost 24 hours over the weekend.
A manager has admitted to drinking, was disciplined and given a two-day suspension, said a Corrections Ministry spokesperson.
Julia Noonan said no name will be released as it is a personnel matter.
OPSEU members identified the manager as one of a group of supervisors who have been living and working at Cecil Facer since the OPSEU strike began March 13.
Local 618 members said late last Wednesday afternoon, an obviously impaired manager working at the institution left the building to fraternize with them.
One of the picket captains informed Local 618 president Yvon Constantineau.
?They couldn?t believe it that he came down in that state of mind.?
Also disturbing was that the manager could have been called to serve as back up in the case of major disturbance at the youth detention facility.
?That?s what we said, look at our wonderful back up if we need it.?
Constantineau said the union launched an internal complaint and left the matter in the hands of the institution?s superintendent who did nothing about it.
Local 618 also reported the incident to the Ministry of Labour. The union received a letter saying the incident was not a health and safety matter.
?We were flabbergasted when we got that but that?s the standard letter that we get from the Ministry of Labour,? said Constantineau.
Last Saturday the local said unless representatives were allowed to search the facility for alcohol, weapons and other contraband, it couldn?t be considered a safe work environment.
Constantineau said a deal was eventually worked out in the early Sunday afternoon to allow OPSEU members to check out the facility.
The Ministry of Correctional Services spokesman said a search wasn?t initially allowed because the union wanted to examine the cottage where managers are sleeping and senior management did not know the reason for the request was alleged drinking on the part of a manager.
While on institutional property, the cottage is not an inmate accessible area and not within the secured fence sector.
?Appropriate action was taken which is to ensure that the facility and the property was free of alcohol,? said Noonan.
OPSEU members were allowed to search the manager?s cottage but no alcohol was found said Noonan.
Late Sunday afternoon the essential workers announced the area was safe to go in to.
There are currently 85 young offenders residing in the facility designed to accommodate 104.
During the strike their routine involves eating, showering and one recreation period a day. They are also allowed to play board games and watch TV in day rooms. Residents normally attend school in the building but Rainbow District Board teacher?s are not crossing the picket line.
