St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino April 4 served a 72-hour lockout notice to the BC Government Employees’ Union (BCGEU) after the union’s bargaining committee declined attempts by the resort to meet and continue contract negotiations.

The resort has taken this step to ensure operations continue as usual, activating its contingency plans. All bookings will be honoured and all facilities will remain open and fully operational, the resort noted in a press release.

The resort will be managed by 225 non-union staff who make up about 75% of the total employee base.

“Our priority is to ensure we continue to maintain the high-quality service our guests have come to expect and we are confident we will do this, despite the current labour dispute,” said Max Dressler, St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino CEO. “It is regrettable that we had to take this court of action, but the union appears to be unwilling to roll up their sleeves and work to achieve a fair and reasonable agreement that recognizes the economic realities we face.”

In late March, 32 of 75 employees in the bargaining unit voted in favour of a strike. Since commencing bargaining in October 2013, approximately 20 negotiation sessions have been held between the resort and the union.

“We value all of our employees and hope they understand we are committed to working the union to achieve an agreement as quickly as possible,” Dressler added.

BCGEU has not responded to e-KNOW’s request for comments on this.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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