Stora vote this week
Local concern mounting
GUYSBOROUGH - More than 600 unionized workers at Stora Enso started voting on a new offer from the company on Tuesday. Union leaders have indicated that they are not recommending acceptance or rejection of Stora's latest offer, but say grumblings about the offer may mean it won't get majority support. Stora has indicated that a rejection of the offer will mean a lockout. Voting by members of Local 972, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union in Port Hawkesbury is continuing Wednesday.
Guysborough warden Lloyd Hines says he appreciates the effort that the two sides have put into the negotiations over the past month, noting that whatever the outcome of this week's votes, the parties have all the information they need.
"Everyone at this point must understand the consequences…everyone will be making an informed decision."
Hines acknowledges that if there are "irreconcilable differences," there'll be a prolonged lockout. "If you have irreconcilable differences, then you have divorce.
"I think it's a tough time for the union," says Hines, "because two key issues in negotiations have been seniority and contracting out." He describes those as "bread and butter union issues" on which the union would not have a lot of leeway.
Hines says most of the impact in the District of Guysborough of a prolonged lockout would be in lost part-time income of property owners. "I know that it (Stora) is the lifeblood of our informal economy here in that it's part-time income for many of our woodlot owners."
Stora contractors in harvesting and trucking in the District of Guysborough and St. Mary's have had their businesses come to a standstill over the past month due to the labour unrest at Stora. Tommy Hayne of Country Habour had to lay off all 11 of his full-time employees in December.
The situation is most serious for the Port Hawkesbury area, where many rely on Stora for their salaries. "Friends of mine in the business community in Port Hawkesbury are extremely concerned," Hines notes.
Mulgrave town councilor George Freer says there's also a lot of concern in his community over the uncertainty at Stora.
"I think it's a sad situation if they can't come to a conclusion that's to the satisfaction of both parites," he said during an interview Tuesday. "I think it's certainly going to hurt the economy in this area. I think it will be devasting really…Stora has been the backbone of the economy."
Freer said things would be different if there was another large employer in the area that could "pick up the slack" from a Stora lockout, but that's not the case.
"It's the largest employer in the area and the spinoffs from it are huge."
