FFAW IRO Council Meets in Gander
July 19, 2024
FFAW-Unifor’s Industrial-Retail-Offshore Council held their annual summer meeting this week in Gander, to provide updates and set priorities for the upcoming year. The IRO Council is comprised of over 20 members of the non-fishing sector of the Union and attendees this week included:
Greg Pretty – President
Jason Spingle – Secretary-Treasurer
Doretta Strickland – IRO Vice President, OCI Triton
Darren Melindy – Executive Board, Cahill Fabrication
Sheila Howell – Executive Board, Beothic Fish Processors
Flora Mills – Executive Board, Notre Dame Seafoods
Charles Baker – Executive Board, Clearwater Seafoods
Della Melindy – Beothic Fish Processors
Vicki Morris – LFUSC
Gavin Brake – Molson
Sheldon Squibb – Harbour Grace Cold Storage
Robert Pereira – Clearwater Seafoods
Hubert Stacey – OCI St. Lawrence
Lorraine Budden – Fogo Island Co-op, Crab
Tiffany Morgan – Fogo Island Co-op, Shrimp
Karen Powell – Happy Adventure
Barry Randell – OCI Bonavista
Gloria Pierce – MOWI Harbour Breton
James Farrell – IRO Staff Representative & Solicitor
Johan Joensen – IRO Staff Representative
Joey Warford – IRO Staff Representative
Allan Moulton – IRO Staff Representative
Jeff Griffith – Staff Representative
Courtney Glode – Director of Public Affairs
Abe Solberg – Policy & Negotiations Lead
Vanessa Morris – Controller
Crystal Lynn Gorman – Executive Assistant to the President
Stephanie Pritchett – Executive Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer
Primary issues raised were:
- The lack of focus on recruitment and retention of local plant workforce, and company preference for Temporary Foreign Worker program over local workforce,;
- Failure of the Employment Insurance system in protecting and supporting seasonal workers, failure of the current government to enact needed changes to the system, and the failure of elected NL Members of Parliament to effectively advocate for necessary supports and opportunities to provide stability;
- The need to improve safety culture in IRO workplaces, particularly regarding forklift safety and hearing loss protection;
- The need for succession planning for local unions in the workplace and the need to find ways to engage younger workers to participate; as well as
- Plans for current and upcoming campaigns, including the ongoing effort to protect the Northern cod commitment, sector unity, contract flipping, and scab labour legislation.
We thank all IRO Representatives for their engagement and enthusiasm this week. You make your workplaces a better place to work – and even though it is challenging and often thankless work, you continue to do it because you care about your coworkers and your community. Your service and dedication do not go unnoticed.
Attendee panel closed.
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