Last month delivered a union victory that had long been sought after, with UFAWU-Unifor having advocated for the bringing of the seine fleet under its umbrella for a number of years.
The decision released from the Labour Relations Board on June 17th marking a move that will redefine the nature of fishing industry negotiations in the years to come.
Following six days of hearings at the start of the year, Labour Relations Board adjudicator Vice Chair Andres Baker, weighed the testimony and ruled in favour of the labour organization and its quest to represent the seine crews in contract talks to come.
The case came before the British Columbia Labour Relations Board in January and February of this year for six days of hearings. The decision was released on June 17th.
The ballots from those who work on the seine boats were originally cast in October, but the process came to a standstill after Canadian Fish took the issue to a court challenge, with a view that a bargaining unit that includes crew members of seine boats; but not gillnet boats was not an appropriate unit for collective bargaining.
The union countered that argument by noting that the work of seine fishers exercise a particular set of skills in a crew or team using well-defined and unique technology, and the fishers' interests are uniquely the interests of the crew who work in a team and whose livelihood depends on the division of the proceeds of the catch.
By comparison the work of the gillnetters was described as that of workers who work alone and have more freedom to sell their catch to whatever company they may wish.
The final few lines of the lengthy decision from the Vice Chair, put the spotlight on the reasons why UFAWU-Unifor was successful in their bid for representation.
When the ballots were unsealed as required by the ruling, the totals reflected the dominance of UFAWU-Unifor on the local labour scene, with 92 percent of those voting in the balloting selective the union as their bargaining agent.
The next step will see negotiations begin towards a collective agreement much like shoreworkers and tendermen have negotiated following previous bargaining.
The findings from the Labour Board decision make for an extensive and at times fascinating review of the history of the fishery in modern times and provides a glimpse into the differences of opinion between management and union when it comes to the industry.
The full decision from the Labour Relations Board can be reviewed here.
While it is a battle won for UFAWU-Unifor, it comes in the wake of some lean years for the industry and Prince Rupert in particular through the last decade. Years that have seen many take their leave of the fishery, both on the water and in the plants that once were prominent along the Prince Rupert waterfront.
With the region now home for a fishery that is very much a shadow of what it once was, those still engaged in fishing on the North coast continue to wait for action from both Ottawa and Victoria.
Heading into the 2019 summer season, many are still looking for some indication that both levels of government will take the steps required to reflect the needs of those that once worked in it and to help install some confidence for those who may still be employed in it today.
For more items of note related to the North Coast Fishery see our archive page here.
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