For a second day in a row, Unifor employees from across the country joined locked-out D-J Composites workers in barricading the American-owned business in Gander Sept. 27.
Unifor’s national president Jerry Dias, who was on hand for the sit in, said the number one priority for the demonstration has been getting the employees back to work.
Thirty families have been affected by the 92 week lockout.
Dias also acknowledged, however, that having conversations around labour laws is important as well.
“This could have ended a long time ago if we could have forced binding arbitration. If we had anti-scab legislation, this could have been done 647 days ago,” he said.
As for why the measures weren’t taken earlier, there have been ongoing demonstrations at the picket line, but it hasn’t gotten anywhere, Dias said.
“We came to the point where we said, ‘Listen, it just has to be a wholesale barricade,’” he said.
The union isn’t prepared to back down either, even if it’s court ordered.
“They can get an injunction, but the bottom line is we won’t be going anywhere,” Dias said, adding he hopes that would lead to either the company or provincial government stepping in to bring an end to the matter.
“It’s called binding arbitration… it’s a mechanism that jumpstarts the conversation, because if we can’t reach an agreement, then a third party will make the terms and conditions and both sides are bound to that decision,” he said.
Premier Dwight Ball has previously told The Central Voice binding arbitration has been considered but wasn’t deemed the appropriate route at that time.
Dias scoffed at the reasoning.
“Six hundred and forty-seven days they have been locked out, and (the provincial government doesn’t) think the timing is right yet. Are you kidding?”
To finally see a heavier hand from Unifor is something Ignatius Oram, one of the locked-out employees, said he appreciates, as previous tactics weren’t working.
“It’s an extreme measure, but it’s needed to accomplish what we are looking to do, because after 21 months our calls have been unanswered,” Oram said.
“We want to negotiate our own settlements, but when you’re in a situation where a company is refusing to negotiate fairly and collectively, the process breaks down.
“We’ve used and exhausted all avenues available to us, but it still wasn’t working, so when a situation like that happens, you go to the next best thing, binding arbitration.”
He’s hoping the demonstrations can apply enough pressure to force action.
“It’s going to take more than D-J Composites. I think it’s going to take the government stepping in to do this. When it comes to binding arbitration, it brings about a settled agreement for all.”
