Fisheries

VANCOUVER—Unifor is reaching out to members and supporters this week to sign a petition to stop the displacement of local fish harvesters on the Pacific coast.

“Canadian natural resources, such as the Pacific fishery, should provide good jobs and benefit working families,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The federal government is failing coastal communities and the rest of Canada by allowing massive multinational corporations to plunder our communal wealth.”

Today, the Fish Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor) is celebrating World Fisheries Day. One day, held annually on November 21, internationally recognizes commercial fisheries and the many people whose livelihoods rely on sustainably managed ocean ecosystems.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the commercial fishery of today is not the fishery of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. The commercial fishery of 2022, in many ways, would be unrecognizable to our forefathers. 

On the heels of the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (Nl-FHSA) Safety Symposium last week and the arrival of Minister Joyce Murray in St. John’s this week, the FFAW’s Inshore Council is reiterating the need for increased search and rescue resources in Labrador. 

Photo credit: @mikekingnl Twitter

Professional fish harvesters on the southwest coast of the province are left reeling after post-tropical storm Fiona made landfall in the area on Friday and Saturday. The damage left in Fiona’s wake has impacted multiple enterprises, leaving significant damage to gear, boats, motors, and sheds. FFAW-Unifor is seeking financial support from federal and provincial governments to assist these inshore harvesters in their rebuilding efforts. 

ST. JOHN’S, NL – FFAW-Unifor, the largest private sector trade-union in the province, is launching a campaign focused on health and safety issues affecting members. The campaign will run throughout the fall months and will highlight key topics with the goal of bringing change from legislation makers and employers.

The International Transport Federation (ITF) has put out a global call for support for seafarers working ferries between the United Kingdom, Ireland and mainland Europe after they were illegally fired with 30 minutes’ notice by pre-recorded video message.

On the 50th anniversary of Fish Food and Allied Workers’ Union (FFAW-Unifor), retired local president Earle McCurdy has published a new book reviewing the storied and proud history of one of the East Coast’s most powerful political forces.

By Lana Payne

This month, FFAW/Unifor celebrated 50 years of trade unionism for the workers of Newfoundland and Labrador. For 50 years, my local union has been confronting power, defying the odds, sharing the wealth and building solidarity.

Here are, in writing, some of the words I shared with the welcoming audience at the recent celebration.

Thirty years after going to work for the working women and men represented by FFAW, there was no way to know where it would lead me.

By Lisa Smith, FFAW-Unifor Policy Lead

In the Premier’s Economic Recovery Team Report (better known as the PERT Report or Greene Report), Dame Moya Green recommends corporate concentration in the fisheries as a necessary measure for our economic recovery, but the fishery is already thriving. The industry continues to fuel a prosperous inshore sector with lucrative species, essential employment, and economic benefits that flow to communities throughout the province. Changing that will remove value from Newfoundland and Labrador.