05/30/2019
May 30, 2019
FFAW Calls on New Provincial Cabinet to Follow Through on Election Commitments
The Liberal Government held the swearing-in ceremony for cabinet today in St. John’s. Among those sworn into Cabinet positions are Gerry Byrne as the Minister for Fisheries and Land Resources as well as Sherry Gambin-Walsh as Minister for Service NL, both of whom have held these positions since 2017. FFAW-Unifor is now calling on the Liberal Government to uphold commitments made during the campaign period to address serious concerns the facing FFAW-Unifor members.
During the election period, FFAW-Unifor questioned parties on their commitment to improving transparency in fish price negotiations by collecting accurate information from fish processors on all product forms processed in Newfoundland and Labrador, including information on production, yield, and domestic and international prices for all species of fish.
“Fair collective bargaining is essential for good labour relations in the fishery and requires the sharing of information that goes to the essence of setting a per pound price for fish. The Liberal Party made clear their support for transparency in fish processing and committed to seeking updated and accurate pricing information and we now ask that Minister Byrne make this a priority going forward,” says Keith Sullivan, FFAW-Unifor President.
Also included in the election questionnaire was the question of establishing a fish processing safety sector council. Safety statistics in fish processing are alarmingly high, with lost-time and soft tissue incidence rates exceeding the provincial average by a significant margin and with high rates of shellfish asthma. For more than a decade, fish plant workers have advocated for the establishment of a fish processing sector safety council to address the unique safety concerns of their workplace that have gone unaddressed for decades. Just last week, FFAW-Unifor members were sounding the alarm on inadequate safety conditions in the province’s fish plants.
“At every turn, progress on the issue of workplace safety in fish plants has been undermined by fish processing companies and employer groups, but the provincial government has the power to do much more to protect workers. It’s imperative to worker safety that Minister Gambin-Walsh make a processing safety sector council a priority for Workplace NL,” explains Sullivan.
The full 2019 Elections Report Card can be read here.