In 1997, the Labour Court recommended that Crown Equipment Limited and the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union negotiate a new agreement on temporary workers. The recommendation was signed on 17 October 1997. The dispute also covered the service dates of four permanent workers and shop steward representation in the Wheel Machine Department. The union sought to backdate the workers’ service to December 1994. The Court did not recommend conceding that claim, noting the workers’ legal rights could not be affected by accepting a November 1996 start date. The Court considered Crown Equipment’s position on shop steward representation reasonable and said it should be accepted. It recorded that employees in the department could be represented by a shop steward.