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As SaskTel’s workers prepare to bargain for a new contract, the president of their union swung by Regina with some fiery words for Premier Scott Moe.

Jerry Dias, Unifor’s national president, said workers will not accept what the government has been pushing so far — nor will they stand for an arbitrated settlement.

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“The only agreement that we are going to accept is one that we mutually agree upon at the bargaining table,” Dias said.

“We’re here today to say to the premier: We know how to settle, but we also know how to dance, so how do you want to do it?”

Citing past statements and the experience at other bargaining tables, he said the provincial government has been trying to “mandate” an agreement with flat wages for two years, followed by slim hikes of one per cent and two per cent.

Dias said the chance of that happening is “zero.”

The government responded that it could not comment on its negotiating position, but stated there is “no set mandate.”