Provincial minister of labour Harry Bains has appointed Amanda Rogers and Vince Ready as special mediators in the eight-month collective bargaining dispute between Western Forest Products and United Steelworkers Local 1-1937.
“This dispute has taken a huge toll on workers and their families as well as the entire coastal forestry community,” stated Bains in a media release. “We want to see everyone get back on the job. As minister of labour, I have decided to appoint special mediators Ready and Rogers with additional powers under the Labour Relations Code to help the parties reach an agreement as soon as possible.”
According to the media release from the provincial government, the parties will be brought together by the special mediators to reach an agreement through collective bargaining. If the parties do not reach an agreement, the mediators will provide the parties and the minister with recommended terms for settlement, which they will have five days to accept or reject. The minister of labour also can make the terms of settlement public.
“I am confident that with the assistance of two of the nation’s top mediators, and the additional powers provided to them under the Labour Relations Code by this appointment, both sides can achieve a deal that ensures the sustainability of coastal forestry jobs and supports the terms and conditions of employment important to workers,” stated Bains.
In response to the appointment of the special mediators, Don Demens, president and chief executive officer of Western Forest Products, released the following statement: “The coastal forest industry continues to face significant competitive and cost structure challenges. With the appointment of the special mediators, we are hopeful that this process will soon result in a fair and equitable agreement that recognizes the contributions of our employees while maintaining the sustainability of the industry that Western, our employees, contractors, communities and customers rely on.”
According to an update from the United Steelworkers (USW), while union members support the call to have mediators re-engage the parties, they remain concerned that Western Forest Products (WFP) will once again refuse to remove its concessionary proposals and wait for recommendations from the mediators, in the hopes of achieving concessions, if recommended.
“Dropping and then reinstating their contracting out concession has been a repeated practice with WFP negotiators and is the biggest reason for the strike dragging on,” stated USW 1-1937 president Brian Butler.
He added that as the parties enter the announced process, it is the union’s hope that during the time mediators have been working with the parties, they have heard members’ concerns about safe shifts, secure jobs and other important issues, loud and clear.
“Without the mediators’ understanding of the clear and present danger of unsafe shifts to our members’ physical and mental wellbeing, as well as their serious concerns over the dismantling of our members’ job security through contracting out, and other key issues, our members fear this process ultimately may force them to accept an inferior agreement that forces them back to work with an increased risk of suffering a serious or fatal injury, or having their job contracted out,” stated Butler.
“It is also the membership’s hope that WFP takes the announced process seriously and actually negotiates with the USW.”
Butler stated the USW membership urges the provincial government not to institute a binding process if this announced procedure fails to result in WFP seriously addressing its members’ fight for safety, security and a fair contract.
He concluded by saying the union’s bargaining committee remains committed to negotiating a fair collective agreement its members can support and one that can be used as the pattern agreement for the rest of the coastal forest industry.
