We are now back at work after voting to accept a ratified memorandum of agreement on March 10, 2008. CEP Local 481 would like to thank all our supporters, who made this all possible.
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CEP is the Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union and we are Local 481. We are the employees of SGEU, the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union. SGEU has three offices located in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert Saskatchewan in Canada.

After 2 1/2 years of failed negotiations left us without a contract since July 2005 we, the employees of SGEU walked out of our jobs and onto the picket line on November 6, 2007. Two hours later SGEU President Bob Bymoen served us notice that we were locked-out of our jobs until further notice.

A further update: The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour offered to supply a mediator to SGEU and CEP 481 in order to facilitate productive bargaining of a new contract. CEP 481 accepted this offer but on Friday, November 30, 2007 SGEU declined that offer with the reason that they wanted to choose the mediator. No word has been heard yet from them as to any further attempts to talk.
Finally, SGEU agreed to come back to the table on January 16, 2008. However after 12 hours of fruitless bargaining CEP 481's bargaining committee rejected SGEU's latest offer which included the same concessions as previous offers. A few days later CEP Local 481 had a membership meeting at which they unanimously voted to support their bargaining committee's rejection of SGEU's last offer.
Please see our website for more up to date details!