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Cod Coming to Fortune Plant, New Collective Agreement Signed with OCI

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Cod Coming to Fortune Plant, New Collective Agreement Signed with OCI
July 12, 2025

FORTUNE, NL –FFAW-Unifor members at the OCI-owned fish processing facility in Fortune have successfully ratified a new collective agreement, bringing stability and hope to workers at the Burin Peninsula plant. The deal was overwhelmingly supported by members during a ratification meeting on July 9, 2025.

Following the ratification, OCI confirmed that the facility is expected to process cod as early as late summer 2025. This development is welcomed news to the workers who have called for more stable and secure employment.

Despite being licensed to process several species, in recent years the number of hours of work have been minimal – less than 400 hours in 2024, and about 300 so far in 2025. With only around 40 people currently on the seniority list, that number is anticipated to increase with the addition of cod to the processing line.

With the Total Allowable Catch for Northern Cod recently increased and the fishery set to open on Sunday, the OCI Fortune facility is poised to resume operations by early August. This timeline positions the plant to help address potential pressures arising from the expanded cod fishery, and will be welcomed news to plant workers and fish harvesters alike.

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Dr. Erin Carruthers

Dr. Erin Carruthers is the Science Director and Senior Fisheries Scientist with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), which is the labour union that represents the owner-operator fleet in Newfoundland and Labrador. The FFAW is committed to research and management that supports healthy oceans, fisheries, and coastal communities. Dr. Carruthers received her Ph. D. in Biology from Memorial University in 2011 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. Before coming to Newfoundland, Erin worked as a Research Biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the St. Andrews Biological Station. Her current research program is co-constructed with fish harvesters and includes research on coastal fishing communities, collaborative longline and trap surveys, and best practices for the avoidance, handling and release of unwanted catch.