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Talks Set For Friday Aimed At Avoiding Possible Looming Corrections Strike

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Jan, 2016 11:57 AM

TORONTO — The union for correctional and probation officers has scheduled a last-ditch attempt at reaching a contract with the Ontario government and avoiding a strike.

Smokey Thomas, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says the two sides will meet Friday.

The workers — who rejected an earlier tentative settlement — will be in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

The government, meanwhile, has been making contingency plans in the event of a strike to have managers from other areas of the public service to help keep the jails and probation offices running.

A spokeswoman says most direct contact with inmates "will be handled and overseen by experienced corrections managers."

Strike preparations have long been in the works, as the correctional and probation workers have been without a contract since December 2014, with the government spending $8.5 million on training and renovating spaces in the jails.

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