A wildcat strike that saw hundreds of Alberta prison guards walk off the job continues to gain momentum, with courtroom sheriffs, clerks and social workers joining the picket line. Provincial sheriffs picketed outside courthouses in Edmonton and Calgary on Monday, as prison guards from 10 correctional facilities throughout Alberta entered Day 4 of the strike, despite being issued a back-to-work order by the province. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees said some court clerks and social workers have also walked out in solidarity with guards. Municipal and RCMP officers and management at the correction facilities have been filling in for the hundreds of striking workers. Alberta Deputy Solicitor General Tim Grant told The Canadian Press it will be business as usual in the province’s courts on Monday, with RCMP and city police taking on the work of sheriffs who have joined the strike.

Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk maintains the province won't negotiate with the union representing the guards until they return to work. On Saturday, the Alberta Labour Relations Board issued a cease-and-desist order, directing corrections staff back to work. However, a number of guards opted to ignore the order.

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees vice-president Glen Scott says striking workers are waiting for the province to start a dialogue, as the guards are not prepared to return to what they consider an unsafe workplace. “It’s at the point now when someone has to take a break and leave the unit, some of those units are actually being left unmanned. That’s unacceptable,” Scott told CTV’s Canada AM on Monday. “There’s been an increase in assaults between inmates and on staff.” Scott said staffing cuts have been a long-time concern at Alberta’s correctional facilities. He said the “final straw” came last week when an employee was suspended for complaining about safety issues at the newly-built Edmonton Remand Centre.