Union for STC workers taking province to court over bus service closure

The union representing Saskatchewan Transportation Company workers is taking the provincial government to court over its decision to shut down the Crown bus service on May 31.

The Amalgamated Transit Local 1374, which represents more than 200 STC workers, has applied for an injunction to stop the government from closing the STC.

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The province announced its plans to wind down the service as part of its March 22budget, saying it would save the government roughly $17 million per year.

But Local 1374 president Eric Carr said the union would fight the decision, sayingthe government did not follow the conditions of the Crown Corporations Act when it announced the closure.

"There's supposed to be a debate in chambers, they're supposed to gazette to the citizens of Saskatchewan [on]the closure," he said.

"They never did any of those things."

The province released a brief statement in response to the court injunction.

Government response

"The Government of Saskatchewan has the authority to wind up the affairs of STC and will be advancing that position before the court in response to the ATU's injunction," it said in an email.

Carr said the injunction would be heard at the Court of Queen's Bench in Regina on Thursday.

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He said lawyers for the union had been working on the filing since March. Hedid not venture a guess at the chances of winning the injunction.

"I don't even really ask what our chances are anymore," said Carr.

"There's right and there's wrong and the union believes that this is absolutely in the best interests of its people, along with the citizens of Saskatchewan."