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10 March, 2008
After five days of talks intended to probe solutions to Canada’s forest products crisis, negotiations ended 6 March between ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) and AbitibiBowater, the major paper producer in the Canadian East.
“CEP members came to these negotiations one year early to achieve more stability for the Canadian pulp and paper industry and to stop the bleeding of thousands of jobs,” stated CEP President Dave Coles. “However, instead of working with the union and their employees, the negotiations were ended by the company because CEP would not agree to major concessions concerning the pension plan and other issues.”
CEP President Dave Coles
In February, delegates from the union’s pulp and paper sector voted to enter talks early for 5,500 AbitibiBowater workers at some 13 eastern Canadian pulp and paper mills. The talks, a full 13 months before contracts for 20,000 paperworkers in eastern Canada were set to expire, were aimed at getting contract extensions and initiating productivity and efficiency practices inside Canadian mills.
“We are very disappointed in this outcome,” added Coles. But “we must send a clear and strong message to the industry that our position will not change one year from now when our contracts expire.”
In the Canadian West, the CEP is currently in talks with paper companies. Contracts there expire on 1 April 2008.