New deal strengthens OCI agreement for Fortune, fisheries minister says
The provincial government says a new agreement with Ocean Choice International (OCI) for the company’s fish plant in Fortune improves on a previous deal reached five years ago.
In a news release from the provincial government Thursday, the key improvement in the deal was identified as an employment guarantee for the workers in exchange for an exemption under the minimum processing regulations for yellowtail flounder.
The fisheries minister has the ability to cancel the agreement if OCI breaches the terms of the deal.
“The new agreement recognizes there were challenges with respect to processing the smaller-sized fish and provides the flexibility to ensure OCI’S operations are more economical,” the release states.
“This is in exchange for a four-year commitment to operate the Fortune facility for a minimum of 15 weeks per year for the workforce.”
On Wednesday, Ffaw-unifor issued a news release saying the union was “shocked and deeply disappointed” with the provincial government’s decision to issue further exemptions to OCI, allowing the company to ship yellowtail, redfish and American plaice to countries where it could be processed more cheaply.
“This decision is a slap in the face to plant workers and rural communities,” Ffaw-unifor president Keith Sullivan said.
In the provincial government’s release, Fisheries Minister Steve Crocker said he is dismayed Sullivan doesn’t support his own union’s local executive’s request to ensure continued employment at the Fortune fish plant.
He also claimed Sullivan doesn’t understand how minimum processing requirements are granted, and said Sullivan failed to check the facts of the recent deal.
“I am shocked and disappointed by the reaction of the president of the Ffawunifor, Keith Sullivan, to the agreement reached with OCI given this agreement will ensure employment for FFAW’S own membership in Fortune,” Crocker stated in the release.
“Mr. Sullivan should be aware his own union local requested and were in full support of this agreement as he was copied on the letter they sent to me in April. We met with the local union as recently as June 6 and they were fully supportive of this agreement.
“Mr. Sullivan seems to be out of touch with his own union membership, and it appears he does not want what is in the best interests of Fortune fish plant workers. I cannot comprehend how Mr. Sullivan would speak out against his own members in this way.”
The new agreement was reached with full consensus of the Ffaw-unifor Local 1252 and the Town of Fortune, the provincial government news release states.
The new deal
The provincial government sought to provide some facts about the OCI deal and clear up some of the claims the Ffawunifor made in its release.
It was noted the Fisheries minister may grant exemptions when it makes sense to do so in cases when it provides optimal benefits to the province.
Meanwhile, an exemption is in place for yellowtail flounder and it has to be offered to local processors prior to export. There is no change to exemptions on American plaice or redfish in the new agreement, however.
As well, the minister of Fisheries and Land Resources has the legislative authority to exempt processors from the minimum processing requirements, not the premier, as was incorrectly stated in a recent FFAW news release, the government news release stated.
The provincial government release stated the new deal supports increased utilization of the yellowtail resource, which is considered healthy, but total landings have not been close to the total allowable catch in some time.
The only viable option for the yellowtail flounder resource was frozen-at-sea production, the release added, and without the agreement, there would be continued challenges with utilizing the resource.
More than 100 workers have been involved annually in harvesting yellowtail flounder.