The Carpenters Union Local 579 says the recent privacy breach involving Grieg NL confirms the “worst fears” of organized labour in the province.

The union has filed a complaint with the Labour Relations Board against Grieg in Marystown, alleging the company attempted to interfere with a union drive by using information forwarded to Grieg in an email from the Labour Relations Board.

The union local is asking for an investigation into why workers were terminated by Grieg within days of receiving the email which included the names of workers expressing an interest in joining the union.

That union says the layoffs occurred during a statutory freeze period when employers are not allowed to hire, fire, lay off or make changes to work conditions.

Union local president Mike Williams says the board and legislation are supposed to protect the rights of workers in the province. He insists that’s not happening at the Grieg site in Marystown.

Trades NL, which represents thousands of skilled labourers, notes it called on the minister of labour to make changes at the board long before the incident.

Executive director Darin King says the board lacks expertise in the construction industry. He says organizing the industry, where jobs are short in duration and people often move around, can be entirely different from procedures in other sectors.