Snow crab harvesters 'at wits' end' during protest outside union building
CBC
Snow crab harvesters say their patience with the Fish, Food & Allied Workers union has run thin, and made their voices heard at a protest outside its St. John's office Thursday.
Around 100 protesters stood in the office's parking lot to seek response from leadership, tired of a lack of updates from the union.
"We got no leadership, really. We don't know what's going on," Tors Cove fisherman Keith Colbert told CBC News.
"We get a scattered email after we get the news from somewhere else. So, you know, why aren't we kept in the flow of things? ... Everyone is over frustrated."
Alex Young, a snow crab harvester from St. Bride's, said his crew is tired of waiting on the dock to fish. He has a 27,000-kilogram quota for the season, is running out of time to catch it, and believes negotiations between the union and the Association of Seafood Producers are at an impasse.
"We feel like we're kind of spinning out a bit here. You know, not sure that the right issues are really being tackled and we want to get our point across a bit more firmly," he said.
"Some people are getting fed up with it, and understandably so. Plant workers especially are really at their wits' end."
Tensions between harvesters have only increased in the past week, as some have decided to break rank by untying their boats to fish for crab.
Colbert believes Thursday's protest is the final straw for many, and thinks the time of solidarity could soon be over.
"When you get a couple of cracks, the whole wall is going to fall," he said.
When it was clear that FFAW leadership wasn't going to make an appearance at the protest, fisherman Jason Sullivan addressed the crowd.
"They're the biggest bunch of cowards you ever see in your life. They won't come and tell us what's going on…. They're gonna say 'sit tight and keep waiting and keep waiting.' Waiting for what?" Sullivan said.
"It just goes to show, you know, the complete lack of ability to negotiate on the FFAW's behalf. I mean I wouldn't let them negotiate my phone bill."
Sullivan also called FFAW president Greg Pretty a "nuisance," while others called for a new leadership election to be held. Sullivan ran in the union's leadership election earlier this year against Pretty, but was disqualified from the race.