There is no end in sight for the strike at a medical equipment manufacturing company in Ottawa, according to workers who have left their jobs for more than two months.

About 60 members from two unions - the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and UNIFOR - walked off the job at Best Theratronics Ltd., based in Kanata, on May 1.

The workers have been without contracts since 2023, and they say the company has shown little willingness to negotiate.

Dale Rath, a packaging mechanic and leader of one of the strike teams, said the employees want to return to the bargaining table, but talks have collapsed.

Speaking from a rainy picket line on Thursday, he said: "We haven’t gotten anything. From my understanding, the legal team has gotten nothing." "There have been no responses from the owner."

The company builds radiological equipment and medical devices for X-ray and radiation therapy.

The picketers are blocking vehicles

Rath said that despite the lack of progress, the striking workers still form a "tight-knit family." The picketers periodically block vehicles from entering the company’s parking lot, delaying deliveries and visitors from entering the building itself.

Rath added: "We’re not backing down. We’re tired of being bullied by the owner." "It’s time for someone to stand up to him, and that’s what we’re doing."

Mark Booth, a PSAC member, agreed that the workers want to hear from the company.

He said, "We’d like to have some form of communication and try to come to some sort of contract resolution... so we can all get back to work." "You know, there are people out there using these products every day around the world."

The company and its owner did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday regarding the labor action or its impact on business.

Booth said, "Before we even talk about wage increases or things like that, we need to communicate and talk with us."