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From CBC
Krishnan Suthanthiran is threatening to close the idle plant, citing massive losses
An idle Kanata nuclear company, a safety regulator’s warnings about a lapsed financial guarantee and an absent owner complaining of losses in the tens of millions: Mounting fears about Krishnan Suthanthiran’s plans for his medical manufacturing company Best Theratronics risk eclipsing the demands of the plant’s striking workers, who for six months have been asking for a pay rise.
A federal labour board will hear an unfair labour practices complaint against Best Theratronics on Tuesday, after the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) issued two orders against the medical manufacturer earlier this month.
The union bringing the complaint hopes the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) will compel Suthanthiran to engage in negotiations with about 60 striking workers who walked off the job in May complaining of below-market wages and a collective agreement that expired in March 2023.
Unifor accuses Suthanthiran of flouting Canadian law by not negotiating in good faith.
“It’s called union busting,” said Lana Payne, the president of Canada’s largest private sector union, which represents 44 of the striking Best Theratronics workers.
“It’s why we have labour laws in this country to prevent those things from happening,” Payne told CBC ahead of the hearings.