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The Alberta government reached a new contract agreement with its largest public sector union Monday, capping months of bitter negotiations and court challenges.
President Guy Smith says it was always the union’s preference to reach a settlement rather than go to arbitration.
The government had actually revoked the union’s right to go to arbitration in controversial labour legislation passed last fall.
But a judge put the new law on hold in February until the union’s concerns could be reviewed.
The government planned to appeal the judge’s ruling, but just hours before the deal was announced it said the appeal wouldn’t be going ahead.
The deal affects 22,000 front-line provincial employees.
The government is also recommending the deal be ratified.
Agencies/Canadajournal
