Canadian Confederation of Unions contributes $10,000 to FISH-NL’s legal fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, June 29th, 2018

The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) has been pledged a $10,000 contribution from the Canadian Confederation of Unions (CCU), the only association of independent, democratic unions in the country.

“We consider the inshore harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador our brothers and sisters in their struggle,” says Kelly Johnson, President of the CCU, which represents 20,000 public- and private-sector workers across Canada. “We value independence, and the freedom of workers to make their own choice.”

The $10,000 donation brings to almost $49,000 the amount that FISH-NL has raised through a Go Fund Me campaign launched in late May.

The goal is $75,000, with most of the funds to go towards FISH-NL’s legal expenses to argue its case before the $10,000 as well as for a battle at the province’s Supreme Court, where the FFAW-Unifor is challenging FISH-NL’s status as a union.

The FFAW and its parent union, Unifor, have been using their huge financial resources to beat back FISH-NL, whose application for certification has been before the Labour Relations Board for 17 months, but FISH-NL keeps moving forward.

On May 24th, the Labour Relations Board announced it had decided to call a hearing to decide “which fishers should be included in the unit for the purpose of the Board deciding whether a certification vote will be held.”

Five weeks later, and a date for the hearing has yet to be set.

FISH-NL’s Go Fund Me page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/boots-on-the-deck

Contact: Ryan Cleary 682 4862