"Police and strikers clash at Canadian airport"

Sunday, March 16, 2003

Police and strikers clash at St John's airport
Canada - CTV


Tempers flared at St. John's International Airport as striking workers
clashed with police after privately-owned snowplows began clearing an
airport road Saturday.

"The police have become hired guns for the airport authority," Chris Bussey,
local president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said.

"They are breaking our lines to get scab workers in. We're very upset about
this situation."

In response, the airport authority said the striking workers were
jeopardizing public safety. CEO said Rex LeDrew said the behaviour of the
strikers was "tantamount to civil unrest."

The road in question is used by vehicles to gain access to the general
aviation area -- including the provincial government air ambulance hangar.

Maintenance of the road isn't included under an essential services agreement
that would require it to be cleared in the event of a strike.

A hospital ambulance and several other vehicles became temporarily stuck on
the road after a storm dumped 30 centimetres of snow on Friday.

Strikers helped push the ambulance, but were reportedly less co-operative
when it came to other vehicles. That's when the privately-owned snowplows
showed up.

The union said the police used force to move strikers who were blocking the
road. On the other side of the debate, RNC acting Insp. Paula Walsh defended
the decision to clear the roadway.

"The RNC did intervene in order to, first and foremost, maintain access to
this roadway for emergency vehicles," she said.

"There was one striker who had to be pulled back out of the way of the plow
by an officer in an attempt to prevent him from being injured by the plow.

"Our interest in public safety is for everybody."

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