After a much-publicized 105-day strike that saw U of T grads at its centre, Hydro One has agreed to settle with its union.

According to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the strike was a response to Hydro One’s demand for major concessions from the union, including an indefinite 20 per cent pay cut for new employees and a further 50 per cent decrease in benefits.

Hydro One’s proposals were seen by the union as discriminatory to the largely young, non-white, and female crop of engineers entering the workforce who would have experienced the lower wages.

The dispute was seen not only as a win for the union, which mounted what IFPTE International president Greg Juneman called in a speech “the longest strike in [its] 80-plus-year history,” but for the two U of T engineering grads who were fired during the strike.

The fired workers launched an intensive and highly visible ad campaign for print and television. It featured the fired U of T grads, all visible minorities, appealing to Premier Dalton McGuinty to stop what they called discriminatory action against them.

The U of T grads who were fired during the strike have since been re-hired.

“It was really important to our members that the young grads got re-hired. The two U of T grads that were fired will start work on Thursday morning. We wouldn’t have taken the deal otherwise.

“48 per cent of the [striking workforce] is looking at leaving over the next two years to retire. It’s totally not about them, but they held out because of the principle that the next crop of engineers were going to be discriminated against,” said Michelle Duncan, a representative of the IFPTE.

“If you look at other professionals such as nurses, police officers, they were all on our side and expressed their support. If engineers took a hit, who was going to be next? That’s what made it such an honorable fight,” said Duncan, who also took the opportunity to criticize U of T’s administration for failing to intervene on behalf of the fired engineers.

“It would’ve been nice if U of T’s Governing Council would’ve helped us out last spring when we asked them to take a stand on this issue. That’s a problem, because they’re enticing young people to take their programs, such as engineering, but they wouldn’t stand up for those people’s futures. They should be protecting the profession.”