The good olde days.................Hailing from TBay I have been keenly monitoring the ever increasing crisis in the CDN forestry sector.
And what simply blows my mind is that, even with the industry on its death bed due to not being able to compete internationally and sell their products at a profit, the hard core unions still don't get it and refuse to conceed any concessions.
Just like the TWU during the last strike___and I imagine their current position remains the same___cast back in the good olde days.
Now it would be interesting to know what the actual union membership in the forestry sector think about all this___but that just won't happen in our nice cosy 'democratic' national unions__now would it?
Union agrees to reopen AbitibiBowater contracts
Thursday, December 06, 2007
MONTREAL — — Canada's largest pulp and paper union has agreed to AbitibiBowater Inc.'s request to reopen collective agreements early next year, but it won't cut wages and benefits.
The Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union says it's willing to head to the bargaining table a year earlier than scheduled in response to the crisis in the forestry sector.
"We're taking the bull by the horns," CEP president Dave Coles said in a release Thursday following a two-day meeting of union delegates.
"As a union there are ways we can help cut costs that don't involve concessions and we want to put them forward."
Mr. Coles added that "reopening negotiated contracts to cut wages and benefits is definitely not on."
Last week, AbitibiBowater announced plans to close mills and reopen labour agreements in an attempt to streamline production, cut costs and boost profits.
The layoffs will mostly affect Canadian workers, with Quebec towns Shawinigan and Donnacona among the hardest hit.
Mills in New Brunswick, Ontario and British Columbia are also slated to be closed.
AbitibiBowater says more layoffs may be in store unless unions, governments and communities help cut costs.
But Mr. Coles said the union wants to meet AbitibiBowater to explore alternatives for the mills, early retirements and a transition plan for workers.
The union is also calling on all major forestry companies to join it in convening a national forest industry summit.
© Canadian Press