The provincial fisheries minister has been told by the FFAW that the union is undecided on whether it wants to return to the right to strike.

The FFAW has always had the right to strike according to law, but the union and Association of Seafood Producers both decided to voluntarily waive that right in favour of binding arbitration and Final Offer Selection on fish pricing.

Minister Gerry Byrne says while the union can return to the ability to strike, it will have to give up on binding arbitration and Final Offer Selection.

The issue was a contentious one in last year’s battle over crab prices, with many harvesters choosing to tie up rather than fish at the negotiated price. That raised the hackles of the Association of Seafood Producers, who accused harvesters of going on an illegal strike.

Byrne met with the FFAW during their convention in Gander and reiterated that it’s one or the other – not both, according to the law.

“There was a pivot by the FFAW,” says Byrne, “where the FFAW indicated on the floor of the convention ‘no, we actually may or may not go down that road. We’ll let you know’ and that’s where we are today.”

Byrne recently met with ASP to discuss the matter and the FFAW’s concern over corporate concentration in the processing sector.