Unionized shipyard workers vote to give bargaining committee strike mandate

HALIFAX - Hundreds of unionized workers at the Halifax Shipyard have voted to give their bargaining committee a strike mandate.

A statement from Unifor Local 1 says about 700 of the 800 employees in the union met Sunday to vote on concessions proposed by the company, with 99 per cent voting in favour of a strike.

The members involve several trades, including everything from metal fabricators to electricians, and their contract expires at the end of this month.

The shipyard has been working on the multibillion-dollar federal contract to build the Arctic Offshore Patrol vessels, which was awarded in 2010.

Talks started early last month, with Irving requesting a conciliator after about four days at the table.

The previous Conservative government launched the national shipbuilding strategy in 2010, budgeting $35 billion to rebuild the navy and coast guard fleets while also creating a sustainable shipbuilding industry on both the east and west coasts.

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