St. John's - The mass public sector walkout in Newfoundland and Labrador is the largest strike in the province's history. The main issues are wages and pensions. The government admits that employees deserve a significant raise but says it cannot afford to give the unions what they are seeking.
Government departments are close to being completely shut down.
Other employees on strike include health care workers, road crews, nursing home attendants, school secretaries and caretakers, liquor store workers and many others. Schools are expected to quickly shut down if the strike continues. The strike is considered the first real test of leadership for Premier Roger Grimes, who was sworn in Feb. 13. Newfoundland slashed spending in the 1990s in a bid to reduce huge budget deficits. There have been at least three rounds of layoffs in the public service, as well as wage freezes and benefit rollbacks.