About 100 angry trades workers blocked the gates of a mill in Miramichi, N.B. on Monday, saying a tender awarded to a Quebec-based company is taking jobs away from local workers.
Arbec Forest Products is shutting down for a two-week maintenance period and the company has hired a company from Quebec to do the work.
A local group of welders, machinists and pipe fitters say they want the province to intervene.
“We’re here to try to put an end to it before it escalates, to let them know we’re a community here with local unemployed workers who are qualified to do the job,” says Calvin Donovan.
Last year, New Brunswick Premier David Alward gave Arbec Forest Products more than $15 million in provincial funding to reopen the mill. At the time, he promised the reopening would provide work for local people.
“David Alward should have made sure there was a stipulation in the contract that if we’re investing that kind of money locally in a mill here that the work should be kept local,” says Bill Fraser, MLA for Miramichi-Bay du Vin.
Miramichi Mayor Gerry Cormier is frustrated that Arbec went outside of the province to fill jobs that are needed in Miramichi.
“It’s a Quebec company that’s coming in to do the job and they’re bringing in their people and to me, with the economic situation we have here, it’s just not acceptable,” says Cormier. “We need local jobs.”
Late Monday afternoon, Arbec was granted an injunction against the workers, stopping them from blocking traffic to and from the plant until Oct. 31 when the injunction will be reviewed by a judge.
The workers can also appear in court on Thursday to address the judge.
Until then, they say they will obey the injunction.
Calls to Arbec Forest Products were not returned.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
