Fairness is EVERYTHING: Plant Workers Demand ASP Get Back to Table

Plant Workers Demand Companies Return to Table, Pay Fair Price to Crab Harvesters 

A successful season for plant workers depends on a fair price for fish harvesters.

Year after year, ASP and their members companies pay less to fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador than they do to those in other maritime provinces. The gap between these prices widens more each year.

They stop them from selling to different buyers, and last year, these companies shipped out enormous quantities of unprocessed crab to provinces like Nova Scotia – all at the expense of their own plant workers.

This underhanded move was a brokered deal with maritime buyers to stop individual fish harvesters from accessing new regulations aimed at increasing competition. Instead of creating competition, companies took another attack at fish harvesters by harming their own employees.

Instability and conflict in recent years is directly attributable to the control and manipulation from processing companies working together to keep prices and market access suppressed for NL crab harvesters. Five companies – Royal Greenland, Ocean Choice International, Quinsea, Barry Group, and Beothic Fish Processors – control the vast majority of the crab processing capacity in our province.

This cartel of corporate control benefits when fish harvesters and plant workers are divided. 

They benefit when there is chaos and instability.

And of course, they benefit very much when they are able to pay a lower than market price for their product. 

Who doesn’t benefit from these tactics? Plant workers. 

Plant workers don’t see the extra profits these companies steal from our coastal communities. Those profits go to the company CEOs who have multi-million dollar mansions, yachts, and personal helicopters. Their excess wealth is a slap in the face to people like you who do back breaking labour each season to provide for your families. 

Harvesters aren’t asking for outrageous prices – they are simply asking for fairness. A fair price reflective of market realities and one that is in line with other provinces.

Our members have been clear: there will be no crab processed in our province until ASP agrees to a fair price.

ASP needs to get back to the table and pay a fair price to crab harvesters. It’s now up to the companies to show whether they truly care about plant workers.

Because while ASP is saying timing is everything, for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, FAIRNESS is EVERYTHING.

Brenda King, Vice President (IRO), FFAW Executive Board says:

“The situation is putting a rift between plant workers and harvesters but when it comes down to it we all need to stick together. Some plant workers are harvesters’ wives or husbands or cousins or their best friends. It’s very important we all stick together on this because every rural area will suffer. Fish harvesters need plant workers and plant workers need fish harvesters.

To ASP: Be fair. Stop the politics. Let’s get fish harvesters on the water and plant workers on the production floor because our livelihoods are at stake. We ALL need a price that’s fair.”

Doretta Strickland, Former Vice President (IRO) FFAW Executive Board, current FFAW IRO Council member, Deputy-Mayor of Triton, and local President for Ocean Choice International in Triton says:

 “Companies need to get back to the table with the Union and get this figured out, because time is running out for everybody in this fishery. A lot of people depend on this fishery and plant workers are stuck in the middle of it all. So if the companies don’t give a fair price, there’s going to be a lot of hurting people.”

Patsy Chaulk, FFAW Executive Board member representing plant workers from Cape Freels to Cape Fine and Women’s Committee member says:

“As an Executive Board member representing plant workers, I’m very concerned with how crab negotiations are going. I strongly encourage the parties get back to the negotiating table, if not it will have a devastating effect on plant workers.”