we have an inept union now who will no doubt lose this case and we end up again the losers in all this.
The union members (staff) had a golden opportunity here to bring the union headbangers to their senses. When the expert group was set up the strike should have been called off. Instead, all reason went out the window, the union not only decided otherwise but also indicated that they were meeting to consider what the next strike action would amount to. They were not doing this for the good of the staff, they were doing it to show off that they still had the power. The staff should have seen through that and acted accordingly. Instead they allowed themselves to be led further into the mire.
You think that's pie-in-the-sky? I know two instances where this occurred including in a very large company I once worked for. Strike was called but prior to its implementation there were developments and we told the union we should postpone it. The (upstart) union leader refused, said we can teach them a lesson. We then decided to call it off ourselves and things were sorted. The union headbanger resigned and good riddance. Every reasonable worker in EI and the DAA must have known in their hearts that the strike should have been called off but didn't have the guts to go against their headbangers. By not doing so they allowed their own company (in the case of EI) to incur huge financial losses and loss of reputation. I hope that some sort of agreement is reached but the staff should really start to think for themselves instead of blindly following people who have clearly demonstrated that they only have their own interests at heart.