When Mark Atkins was hired as a lead cook at Spinnakers On The Fly at the Victoria International Airport three years ago, he took the offer because it was a good paying, union job for a role he has more than 20 years of experience in.
Atkins initially signed a contract to work for $16.59 per hour. Now the father of a 9-month-old son with his wife, he makes $18.09 an hour.
B次元官网网址淚n those three years, cost of living has sky rocketed,B次元官网网址� he says, B次元官网网址渁nd the power of the dollar IB次元官网网址檓 earning has gone down significantly.B次元官网网址�
Food service workers from who work at the Victoria Int芒聙聶l Airport demonstrate inside asking for fair pay for fair work - been at this since June 2017 with radio silence on the part of the Airport Authority
B次元官网网址� Peninsula B次元官网网址 (@PeninsulaB次元官网网址)
Atkins was part of a group of food service workers who demonstrated at the airport Wednesday, for the second time in four months, to bring awareness to the stalemate they face with their employer Compass Group Canada, after a year-and-a-half of attempts to negotiate for better wages, more staff and a balanced workload.
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Food service at the airport is contracted to Compass Group Canada, so the union, UNITE HERE Local 40, is currently negotiating with Compass.
But because Compass was chosen by the VAA, the union wants the VAA to speak with Compass as well, because it does not guarantee jobs security should the VAA choose not to renew it.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of folks here work for minimum wage, which is awful. Minimum wage is not enough to live in this place,B次元官网网址� he says of the Capital Region, adding many of his colleagues commute to Sidney from across Greater Victoria.
B次元官网网址淭he whole point of having a good wage is to compensate for those things,B次元官网网址� he says.
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Rod Hunchak, director of business development and community relations with the VAA, said the contract they have with Compass is B次元官网网址渇or the delivery of goods and services at the airport.B次元官网网址�
Terms and conditions including service levels are included in the contract between the two companies, and is where VAA maintains their focus.
Because the VAA does not supervise Compass employees, he said it would be B次元官网网址渋nappropriateB次元官网网址� to engage directly with them.
B次元官网网址淚t was explained to them that really they need to be having their discussions with Compass and not the Airport Authority,B次元官网网址� he explained. B次元官网网址淭heir efforts should really be spent with the collective bargaining process.B次元官网网址�
Atkins says he and the union have reached out multiple times since June 2017, writing letters to multiple branches of the VAA and have heard nothing in response.
B次元官网网址淲e are hard working people,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e proud of what we do here, we want to stay at the airport, but we need to have decent job security.B次元官网网址�
Calls to Compass Group Canada were not returned before deadline. On the Mississauga-based companyB次元官网网址檚 website, it says revenues for 2017 were $17 billion (US).
- With files from Hugo Wong
@kristyn_anthony
kristyn.anthony@blackpress.ca
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