Fish Harvesters Welcome Overdue Enforcement of Owner-Operator Policy
December 1, 2016
12/01/2016
For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Fish Harvesters Welcome Overdue Enforcement of Owner-Operator Policy
St. John’s – Fish harvesters in the province are welcoming news that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) will be taking more aggressive steps to crack down on controlling agreements and enforce owner-operator and fleet-separation policies.
“FFAW-Unifor has been leading the fight to protect owner-operator and fleet separation policies and to have those policies enforced and enshrined in law,” said Keith Sullivan, President of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor). “Without policy enforcement, the value brought to coastal communities from our fish resources will continue to be threatened by fish processing companies looking to circumvent the current policies.”
FFAW-Unifor and the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation recently made submissions to the federal Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans calling for changes to the Fisheries Act that would enshrine the enforcement of the Owner-Operator and Fleet-Separation policies in Fisheries General Regulations.
“Just two weeks ago members of the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation spoke out about foreign companies buying up lobster licenses in Nova Scotia,” continued Sullivan. “This is a widespread concern for harvesters throughout Atlantic Canada, including in Newfoundland and Labrador. The news that DFO will increase enforcement of policies to protect local fish harvesters is long overdue.”
The FFAW-Unifor brief to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans can be read here.
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