FFAW MEETS WITH PREMIER HOGAN ON ASP ACTIONS

Today, FFAW-Unifor met with new premier, John Hogan, to discuss key concerns facing the current snow crab fishery. Attending on behalf of the Union were President Dwan Street, fish harvesters John Efford and Glen Winslow, and Executive Assistant to the President, Crystal Lynn Gorman. FFAW brought to Premier Hogan’s attention the ongoing and serious concerns around market manipulation by ASP members.

Specifically, the Union discussed how ASP and their member companies are falsely supressing prices and blocking outside sales by owner-operators, while companies themselves are shipping out record quantities of snow crab at the expense of plant workers.

“Outside buyer policies were implemented to increase competition in the fishery and provide fish harvesters with an alternative. The policy is not achieving what it was set out to do. Premier Hogan must closely consider these cartel-like tactics by the Association of Seafood Producers and implement fast solutions before the next fishing season,” says President Street. “FFAW-Unifor has proposed provincially monitored sales reporting as a condition of licence. This would ensure fish harvesters don’t bear the brunt of bad-faith market manipulations and would also eliminate the need to ship product out of the province.”

“Holding a processing licence in our province is a privilege, not a right. The benefits must go to our communities – not the bottom line of big companies. Our industry is demanding transparency and accountability, and we will not rest until it is achieved,” Street concludes.