The OPSEU bargaining team for front-line correctional services workers, including 57 at Sarnia Jail, has reached an agreement to settle all outstanding issues in contract talks with the provincial government.
As part of the negotiations, the union says corrections workers have been declared an “essential service,” meaning they will no longer have the right to strike, and future bargaining disputes will be determined by binding arbitration.
Another part of the deal is a commitment to lift a long-standing hiring freeze and hire at least 25 new probation and parole officers.
OPSEU and the government say outstanding monetary issues will be referred to binding arbitration.
The government says the settlement is consistent with its fiscal plan and will not increase the deficit.
The announcement comes after marathon negotiations that began Friday and went through to the early hours of Saturday morning.
Some 6,000 correctional workers, who have been without a contract since December 31, 2014, would have been in a legal strike or lockout position as of 12:01 on Sunday morning.
-With files from the Canadian Press
