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Liberal Opposition Labour critic Percy Barrett charges that the Williams
government has to take some responsibility for creating a labour relations
climate in this province, where companies such as FPI are demanding
outrageous wage cuts before the bargaining table process begins. The
Liberal MHA was responding to recent news that FPI has asked unionized
workers to agree to a $2.66 an hour wage rollback prior to any direct talks
with the union on other bargaining matters.
"Companies such as FPI are merely following the example set by the
provincial government," states Barrett. "The manner in which they imposed a
wage settlement on public sector workers and in their dealings with the
nurses’ union in recent months has set the tone for this sort of hard-nose
bargaining. It is highly hypocritical, therefore, for a minister of the
crown to be now out condemning a company for the same tactic his own
government employed in bargaining with its public sector unions.
"The actions of FPI are totally reprehensible and the minister is indeed
taking the right stand on the issue. There is simply a lack of credibility
at play here because of government’s own past actions. It will be telling
whether the strong position expressed by the minister will be backed up by
any real action. This tough talking stance with no follow-through has become
a hallmark of this government.
"At this point, government is morally compelled to use its influence to
exert pressure on the company to deal fairly and timely with the workers who
have been patient long enough."
The Liberal MHA sees one of the solutions to the current FPI situation
would be for the provincial government to obtain a firm commitment from the
federal government on a time frame for the company to use or lose its
resource quota. "It is a condition the premier and his government is willing
to impose on the oil companies. It is also one that can be readily enacted
with respect to the fishery resource, to the betterment of rural
Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in hard-hit communities like Harbour
Breton and Fortune."
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