A decision is expected next week in the court battle between the Alberta government and the province’s 70,000 public sector workers.

The two sides met in Alberta’s Court of Appeal Thursday morning. The government is fighting an injunction against Bill 9, which is a bill to delay wage negotiations for public employees.

The proposed legislation was previously heard in court but a decision went in favour of allowing unions to renegotiate their wages.

Earlier this month, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin granted the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) an injunction against Bill 9.

It meant that union workers were able to continue with arbitration hearings. Earlier this month, the arbitrator heard presentations from AUPE and employers for the Government of Alberta collective agreement.

The Alberta Health Services collective agreement covering Nurse Care and General Support Services was also heard.

The arbitrator is now currently reviewing evidence on whether those members are in line to receive a pay increase.

"Whatever the three judges on the panel decide next week, our hardworking members continue to fight. The court process is only part of our battle," AUPE president Guy Smith said in a statement.

Smith’s statement goes on to call Bill 9 an "ideological decision to demand Alberta workers pay while corporate elites laugh all the way to the bank with their UCP tax breaks."

It was previously agreed that the province would allow unions to renegotiate wages after a two year pay freeze, but now the UCP are receiving criticism for not acting in good faith. As a result, the arbitrator is now not able to make any decision until after a final ruling on the province’s appeal.

After that hearing, if the court agrees with the government, it may order to halt all arbitration which would mean a delay on any decision to increase the pay of union workers. If the court disagrees with the province, then the arbitrator may continue its review and would be able to announce a decision.

If the arbitrator decides AUPE members do in fact deserve a raise, then that cannot be implemented until after its been determined in court whether Bill 9 is legal or not. That process could take up to a year to complete.

Any approved pay increases would be backdated to April of 2019.