Brink’s workers could hit the picket lines Thursday

Brink’s employees could be off the job later this week, after the union issued a 72-hour strike notice on Sunday.

Unifor, which represents 260 workers in British Columbia and 800 workers in Ontario, will be in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday.

The key issue is how many people are in the armoured vehicle. Unifor spokesperson Kathleen O’Keefe said in most cases, there are only two people in the truck and the union wants to see that increased to three.

The two-person crew consists of the driver and one other person. Since both have to leave the vehicle, Unifor said this leaves employees vulnerable to an attack.

“Brink’s is standing by its refusal to staff its armoured cars to provide maximum safety to both workers and the public,” Unifor’s national president Jerry Dias said in a statement. “Unifor will not sign an agreement that puts lives in jeopardy.”

Some of the other issues at stake include fair wages, overtime pay, pensions and benefits.

Meanwhile, Brink’s said the union has taken an “inflexible approach” to contract talks and is warning a “work disruption may have an irreversible negative impact on Brink’s operations across the country.”

Last month, employees voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike.

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