Labour Board Dismisses FISH-NL Certification Application
September 28, 2018
09/28/2018
FFAW-Unifor is pleased with today’s Labour Relations Board decision to dismiss FISH-NL’s certification application.
The investigation by the Labour Relations Board into FISH-NL’s application confirmed FFAW-Unifor’s longstanding assertion that there are nearly 10,000 inshore fish harvesters in our province, which clearly shows that FISH-NL did not have adequate support to warrant a vote.
The Labour Relations Board decision acknowledged the flaws of FISH-NL’s application and spoke to FISH-NL’s attempts to manipulate the process. “Subsequent to filing the application, and as it became clear that it did not have members in good standing as a majority of the existing bargaining unit, FISH-NL submitted that only fish harvesters meeting FISH-NL’s proposed criteria should be included in the bargaining unit for the purpose of deciding whether to conduct a certification vote. The Application was not filed on this basis,” the decision read.
The lengthy investigation by the labour board and a campaign of misinformation by FISH-NL created significant uncertainty in our industry over the past two years. Despite these challenges, FFAW-Unifor has successfully fought to defend the interests of our members by advocating for amendments to the Fisheries Act to protect owner-operators, by lobbying for funding to improve wharfs, by fighting for fair quotas and access to fish resources, and by negotiating some of the highest fish prices ever, such as snow crab.
“The inshore fishery and our coastal communities are stronger when we stand united,” said FFAW-Unifor President Keith Sullivan. “FFAW-Unifor’s elected leadership looks forward to moving on from this process and continuing to focus on tackling the serious issues facing our industry.”
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Courtney Glode
FFAW Communications
709-743-4445
cglode@ffaw.net