The former President of FISH-NL is going down swinging.
The new kid on the block, FISH-NL, is winding down operations after failing to achieve the 40 per cent membership in order to apply for a vote.
Ryan Cleary says their attempts to sign up inshore harvesters in order to apply for certification fell well short their goal, but he is calling the 10,000 harvester figure set by the Labour Relations Board into question.
He compares it to “David vs Goliaths”. He wonders how the provincial government could stand by the definition of a harvester for the purposes of their membership drive as anyone who has a single sale attached to their name either this year or last.
Cleary indicates it was an uphill battle. He says when the Labour Relations Board rejected their first application in 2016 by putting that definition out there he called it a “labour lie.”
He admits the pursuit of setting up a new fisheries union has been tough on him and his family, but he’d do it all again if given the chance.
Ryan Cleary spoke with VOCM’s Fred Hutton. Listen below:
FISH-NL Gone, But Frustrations That Created Them Remain for Many Harvesters
Fellow organizer Peter Leonard apologized to inshore harvesters for not achieving the ultimate objective.
He told the FFAW at a news conference not to consider this a victory. He says the FFAW is the reason for the membership drive over the past three years. Leonard says he’s not on his knees and is still ready to fight.
For FFAW President Keith Sullivan, he says now is the time to rectify some of the divisions that have been created over the past number of years. He is calling on fish harvesters to come together and work behind a common purpose.
He says they have heard the frustrations registered by FISH-NL supporters over the last few years. He says the union needs them, and if they want to advance the industry they all have to work together.
