A month after suffering a defeat at the hands of the province’s labour relations board, the Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) is celebrating a small victory today.
The would-be fish harvesters’ union announced that it surpassed its goal of signing up 500 inshore harvesters paying $24 a month by Oct. 31 in order to continue its fight to be certified as a union.
“Inshore harvesters have spoken — they’re serious about change,” FISH-NL president Ryan Cleary stated in a release.
“Harvesters put their money where their mouths is in their desire to break away from the (Fish Food and Allied Workers Union), and FISH-NL won’t stop until they're granted the right to choose.”
The first application, dismissed Sept. 28 after 21-months under consideration, was funded primarily through donations and a pair of Go Fund Me campaigns.
The union says it will hold a convention this fall and plans to reapply for certification in 2019.
FISH-NL needs the support of 50 per cent of inshore fish harvesters in the province to trigger a certification vote. During the organization’s initial membership drive, the group signed up 2,372 harvesters. FFAW-Unifor asserts there are nearly 10,000 inshore fish harvesters in the province.
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