CRAB REBATE UPDATE

We know the impatience with this crab rebate process is past the boiling point. We’re hearing it every minute of every day. The money that should be in your pockets is sitting in someone else’s bank account, and you don’t know when you will see it or how much it will be.

Leadership (paid and volunteers) are working every single day to get this resolved and pulling every lever available to us.

THE REBATE

We are in constant communication with the auditing firm urging this work to be completed and re-iterating the importance of this rebate to harvesters in the province.

This afternoon we confirmed a meeting with the auditor on Friday and following that meeting we will have a date for when the calculation will be completed and when the rebate amount will be announced.

While we’re all frustrated and short on patience, Deloitte has auditing and quality assurance procedures that they must follow. While last years calculation was done quicker, there are reasons why this year is taking longer:

– This year’s calculation includes sales of all 5-8 oz sections, compared to just FOB Boston last year, so the number of sales records is higher.

– Transportation needs to be deducted this year.

– The exchange rate is being applied weekly this year, versus a season average last year.

– We also included in the scope of services the definition of a sale being an actual sale to a customer and does not include finished product transferred between or within NL companies.

We’ll provide an update following the meeting with Deloitte on Friday.

THE ARBITRATION

The arbitration date has been set for the grievance against processors for failure to pay the rebate based on all 5-8 oz sections. As of now, the rebate will be paid on bulk sales of 5-8 oz sections (30 lb boxes). Any rebate due for retail packs and other pack sizes of 5-8 oz sections will be determined by an arbitrator. The dates have been set for that arbitration: February 26 and 27. We had wanted that arbitration to happen sooner, but the schedules of the lawyers involved led us to the end of February.

However, the amount of that rebate can be released at the agreement of both ASP and FFAW.

MEETING WITH MINISTER LOYOLA O’DRISCOLL

Wednesday afternoon President Dwan Street, Vice-President Inshore Jason Sullivan, Inshore Director Sherry Glynn, and Crab Negotiating Committee Member Glen Winslow will be meeting with Loyola O’Driscoll, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Front and centre in that meeting will be the actions of processors this season in the crab fishery, from their behaviour during negotiations to their attempts to up-end this pricing structure, and everything in between.

We will provide an update following this meeting.

Make no mistake, processors don’t want this pricing structure to work. They want to see us fight amongst ourselves and blame everyone else for the chaos that they’ve caused. All we’re asking for is transparency in price-setting, and the pricing structure we have in place can provide that, but not if companies are determined to undermine the system.