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In a lengthy email response, Evident president Dennis Birtles said his company is aware of the complaint and will co-operate with the investigation, but disputed the union’s allegations as well as its characterization of the company’s staff.

While relations between union members and employer-contracted security guards can be “adversarial” in the early stages of a labour dispute, the relationship between Evident personnel and picketers is generally “terrific,” Birtles said.

“We speak on a daily basis with most picketers and have good relationships at all the sites. Where conflict can arise is when we communicate about safety or legal concerns, that some people do not wish to hear,” he said.

“That can increase frustration levels, and that can lead to conflict.”

The union’s complaint alleges that Evident personnel followed and intimidated picketers, threatened on one occasion to have picketers’ vehicles towed and, in multiple cases, refused to produce their licences even though the law requires them to do so.

Gillies said the production of licences is important to ensure accountability.

Birtles said he was not aware of any instances of intimidation, and to the best of his knowledge a threat to tow picketers’ cars never happened. He provided a different account of the union’s allegation that Evident guards refused to show their licences.

“It was clear to me that the point of asking for our licences was to collect the names of my staff. At that time we were advised (by the registrar) to stop producing our licences to any picketers, and to never allow anyone to photocopy or photograph them.”