With crab season underway, potential job action looms for fish plant workers without a contract
Unionized fish plant workers in communities like Witless Bay, Bonavista and Triton have been without a contract since December. (Terry Roberts/CBC)
Crab is coming into processing plants in eastern Newfoundland, but the lack of a contract for unionized workers could throw a wrench in the season.
Joey Warford, the industrial-retail-offshore council member representative for the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union, said plant workers have been without a deal since December.
"We're hoping to get a deal done but, you know, that remains to be seen. The members are speaking loud and clear on their needs and their wants," Warford — who said he represents about 1,000 plant workers in Witless Bay, Bonavista, Triton and New Wes Valley — told CBC News on Monday.
"And, you know, price of gas, groceries, everything being through the roof, you know, these wages, people just can't survive on them anymore."
Warford said the average plant worker makes between $16 and $18 an hour depending on their location. He said workers want a raise but didn't provide a target number, citing ongoing negotiations.
A strike would be the latest chapter in an already tumultuous season. The season began with fishermen calling on the province to allow outside buyers to enter the market, which led to multiday protest at Confederation Building in St. John's that caused injuries to harvesters and the government to delay the delivery of its budget.
Warford said workers aren't in a legal position to strike yet but are waiting to see if a deal emerges.
"We've basically ran up against a roadblock," he said. "If we could have it our way, this would have been done when the contracts expired back in December."
Asked about a possible strike in the House of Assembly, Labour Minister Bernard Davis said conciliation talks are underway.
"We're focused very heavily, heavily, on working with both parties with conciliation officers right from the beginning. They're still engaged. We're hopeful that a decision can be made negotiated between the two parties."
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