The Longshoremen’s Protective Union claims the use of foreign seafarers to load and offload cruise ships visiting the province threatens the jobs of local workers.

Local 1953 President Chris Gosse says the union has been moving marine cargo in Newfoundland and Labrador for more than 134 years, including passengers. He says foreign seafarers are now performing the work historically carried out by dockers, and their use threatens to “further erode” the union’s “hard-won gains.”

“We’re trying to promote decent jobs on the docks for our dockers and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and we’re trying to keep up with inflation that’s going on in our province, and if we have people that aren’t locals doing our work, it creates an issue for us to keep up with the standard of living.”

The union also wants to know if foreign seafarers being used to offload cruise ships are being paid the prevailing wage for dockers as required by federal law, and it wants to know if Transport Canada and the CBSA are aware of what foreign seafarers are being asked to do.

The union represents some 200 workers in the St. John’s area and another 100 or so in the Corner Brook region.