Petition to remove Saskatoon Co-op directors set up by members

Members of Saskatoon Co-op are petitioning to have the directors removed from the co-operative.

Craig Thebaud, the spokesperson for Saskatoon Co-op Members for the Fair Treatment of Employees, said a minimum of 300 signatures are needed on the petition to request a meeting with the board to vote on removing and replacing all nine directors.

Thebaud said he hopes new directors will remove Co-op’s two-tiered pay system in which new hires will be on a different pay scale than existing employees.

Saskatoon Co-op said the change in the pay system is needed to keep the co-operative financially sustainable over the long term.

The union representing most of the workers and Saskatoon Co-op sat down at the bargaining table Friday.

In a news release on Saturday, Saskatoon Co-op said it offered a higher wage increase for its employees, but the union rejected it.

Now members are petitioning to have a meeting to vote on removing the directors.

If the petition receives all 300 signatures, the board will have 20 days to give notice of the meeting.