An Ontario labour tribunal has concluded the Ford government<\/a> did not illegally lock out striking engineers when it warned some they could not return to work until a new collective agreement was signed or the province gave them permission.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The union representing striking government engineers had complained on Nov. 2<\/a> that the province had effectively locked out members who had withdrawn their labour from key projects like Highway 413<\/a> and the Bradford Bypass.<\/p>\n In a decision released Wednesday, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled it was \u201cnot satisfied that the (province) unlawfully locked out any bargaining unit employees or that it threatened to unlawfully lock out any bargaining unit employees.\u201d<\/p>\n The government said in a statement on Friday that it was still working to come to an agreement with the engineering union, which has been without a contract for almost two years.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cWe continue to focus on reaching a fair agreement that recognizes the specialized role of PEGO employees,\u201d a spokesperson for Ontario\u2019s Treasury Board wrote.<\/p>\n Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Professional Engineers Government of Ontario union and the Ford government have been engaged in an increasingly tense battle over a new contract.<\/p>\n The union has said that the offers from the government have fallen well short of its expectations and has raised concerns its members are leaving for the private sector and agencies like Metrolinx where the pay is better.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t![\"Get](\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/shaw-globalnews\/images\/skyline\/national.jpg\")
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