Eight employees who clean buildings at 15 Wing Airbase are out of a job after the Department of National Defence (DND) ended their contract and gave it to another company.
The seven workers and one supervisor worked with Aramark Canada, a food-service, venues, and uniform services provider that managed areas such as education, health care, business, prisons, and leisure. The company held the cleaning contract at the base since 1999, while three of the employees had worked there the entire 22 years.
The contract that Aramark originally acquired in 1999 was for three years with another two-year renewal option. The company had won the contract repeatedly during the past three decades before it lost the agreement in August to Vancouver-based EnviroSafe Janitorial.
The last day of work for the Aramark employees was Aug. 31.
“Everyone is very upset. When you’ve been with a company in the same location for 20 years, you become part of the community (and) you become part of the everyday workforce,” said Mona Simcoe, vice-president of the Manitoba/Saskatchewan region for the Union of National Defence Employees (UNDE). “DND is going to be losing a lot of knowledgeable staff.”
None of the Aramark employees will transition over to EnviroSafe, which is a non-unionized business that offers lower wages, no benefits, no sick leave, or additional vacation time, she continued. UNDE is also concerned that the knowledge and security clearance the Aramark staff acquired has now been eliminated.
UNDE arrived in Moose Jaw in 1999 to help the small group of Aramark employees unionize after the company won the contract, Simcoe explained. The union helped the staff acquire more perks such as better wages, job security and sick leave. It also ensured the workers had a healthy environment in which to work.
All eight employees live in Moose Jaw. One worker has decided to retire, while the other seven have started looking for work and are on Employment Insurance for the time being.
“… hopefully, they can find a job at this point in their career,” said Simcoe.
UNDE and partner organization the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) — Prairies Division knew that the cleaning contract was up for tender, but both organizations were shocked that DND chose the lowest bid for a custodial contract, she continued. However, this was not a bid for cleaning supplies or equipment but for people, so the lowest bid isn’t always the best one in this instance.
Simcoe added that UNDE and PSAC want the Department of National Defence to do a better job next time of determining the best business case for the cleaning contract and keeping it in-house as a way to save taxpayers money, especially during a pandemic.
“It is important to recognize these skilled workers ensured the environment was always clean and sanitized, allowing the Canadian Armed Forces to remain mission-ready, before and throughout the pandemic,” said June Winger, national president of UNDE. “They were an essential part of the national defence team at CFB Moose Jaw 15 Wing for more than 20 years and will be missed immensely.”
Marianne Hladun, regional executive vice-president of PSAC Prairies, also spoke about the departure of the Aramark employees.
“With great sadness, we bid farewell to this outstanding group of hardworking workers,” she said. “I want to express our gratitude and thanks to these incredible workers who have gone above and beyond to provide unparalleled service.”
Public Services and Procurement Canada, which manages purchases and contracts for the federal government, did not respond to the Moose Jaw Express by the deadline.
