Downtown Regina businesses say Unifor strike hurting bottom line

Businesses in downtown Regina say they're starting to experience the splash damageafter Unifor workers hit the picket lines on Oct. 4.

Employees at The Fat Badger, on the 1800 block of Scarth Street, say it has seen significantly less traffic in the 12 days workers have been on strike.

"Our staffing has declined a little bit over the last couple of weeks. With less people coming in, we don't we don't need to do nearly as much prep," said Aaron Ens, head chef at The Fat Badger.

Employees at the Cornwall Centre's food court are reporting the same issue. Both lunchtime favouritesare located downtown near SaskTel offices.

Unifor has asked for a three-year agreement with a two per cent wage increase each year, which Unifor says would match the rising cost of living. That request was rejected by the government.

The union represents employees at seven Crown corporations in Saskatchewan, including the Water Security Agency, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskWater, SaskTel and its two subsidiaries, DirectWest and SecureTek.

Fewer customers have also resulted in a diminished schedule for workers at the Taco Time in the Cornwall Centre food court.

Maria Lorena Barbosa, who manages the business, said there are about 50 fewer customers dropping by during the usual lunch rush.

"I need to cut down the labour hours because it's going to upset our stores drastically. So, I have no choice," Lorena Barbosa said.

"So,it's not just about the SaskTel employees that's gonna be affected, I guess;it's also the people who workaround SaskTel."

Both Ens and Lorena Barbosa say they would like to see a resolution to the job action as soon as possible. Ens said if the workers have an agreement in place, then they can spend and contribute to the economy.