The union representing the majority of employees at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper says it will host a job fair in the city for workers displaced by the paper company’s restructuring.
A total of 46 full-time jobs were affected by cuts the unions were informed of last week.
A subsequent news release from Kruger Inc., the mill’s parent company based in Montreal, indicated there would be more reductions to the workforce in the coming weeks and months.
Dave Coles, national president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) union, said the union’s construction division helps place workers who have the right skills into jobs, most of which are in the oilsands of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
CEP has hosted job fairs in Atlantic Canada before and Coles said the goal is to have one or two in Newfoundland and Labrador.
There will be one in Corner Brook in the coming months, although there is no specific date confirmed yet.
“Our construction division co-ordinator is working on it now, but we are going to wait a bit because we are not exactly sure what the total shakedown is going to be at the mill,” Coles said.
Most of the construction job openings in the oilsands of Western Canada, and other industrial projects in the country, will be for skilled trades such as steam engineers and heavy equipment operators, or for semi-skilled drivers and labourers.
“The boom is not quite on in the oilpatch right now,” said Coles. “It is starting to build up and it should be in full bloom by the end of the summer or beginning of the fall.”
While the majority of jobs may be in the West, Coles said there is a possibility of skilled trade work cropping up in Atlantic Canadian shipyards. Those jobs would be offered through the Canadian Auto Workers union, which is currently exploring the possibility of a merger with the CEP.
“There is a possibility there will be more work in Newfoundland,” Coles noted. “It’s not clear what’s going to happen at Bull Arm. In the offshore, if they catch a bit of a wave, there could be at-home jobs yet.”
The job fair in Corner Brook, according to Coles, could be held in about eight weeks.
In the meantime, anyone interested in job openings that are available now can get more information by emailing unionjobs@cep.ca.
The Western Star
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So you are paying union dues to so that your union can find you a job AWAY from your family....that is a joke. Seriously, there is nothing funny about it. What are you paying for? Your are right .....the president, stewards and spokespeople will not lose their jobs. they are protected with your dues. They will stay with their family. They will enjoy life. I have to be fair here and disclose my view. I am openly anti-union, and and active union buster. I agressively oursource unionized jobs, and serve as a consultant to help companies outsource work to other parts of the global economy and right to work states. I don't want unions to try and stop companies from eliminating jobs, and I want unions to cave at the first sign of trouble. It would make my life easier and my pocket fatter. ................. That said, I do feel bad for people like you because you are paying your union dues, and you union cannot protect your job. I seems to me like you are getting ripped off. Sorry for your situation, maybe you should occupy the union hall. By the way, where is the union hosting the fair? In a building that they own? are they using their dues to pay rent to themselves?