Bowater union alleges hiring practises endanger workers and waste money

He said the union has asked the Department of Labour and Workforce Development to investigate safety concerns. He said he was advised they are complying. "Now, telling us they're going to pay non-unionized staff, including their new hirees, while we take another five week shut-down has really upset our members in the working class that make the wheels go around.”

The plant is being idled from March 15 to April 20. The news was released to the employees about 9 a.m. March 4.

Wentzell said union workers thought it was a possibility but not less than two months after the last five week shut down ended.

He said anger among union members is not aimed as much at the reason given, the global economy but at Bowater and-or AbitibiBowater Inc. hiring practices. "All non-unionized staff will be working and they just hired six new managers in the last two weeks, so I'm sure they'll be working too."

He continued. "Over the last couple of months, we have been short staffed in the hourly employees so much so people are working excessive overtime, they are not being granted any holidays and there is an overabundance of short term disability claims within the hourly workers. We have been pleading to fill positions that they have committed to us that they would fill."

He explains the union locals originally signed a renewal plan over a year ago that committed members to working more efficiently and to paying $1.4-million in wages to cover the loss of 49 positions at the mill. In turn, he said the company agreed to set employee numbers for certain job areas of the mill. "We agreed to 49 jobs, people leaving the mill - we agreed to pay for that. Since that time, we're now over 60 people that left the mill. They're not being replaced, we're being stretched further than we can possibly handle and now the company is trying to force employees into vacant positions that they don't hold."

He said this could be better explained by CEP Local 259, whose members primarily cover the paper making machines that are most affected. The president couldn't be reached for comment.

He said boat loading workers have applied to fill vacant positions but have been rejected. "Right up until today, we have been pleading with the company to allow some of the boat loaders to come up or at least go to the community and hire four or five people before vacation season starts. We have been pleading with them and not getting anywhere."

He said the standard answer from the Director of Human Resources and Resident Manager is they can't increase the number of hourly units. "This is a ludicrous statement to our membership. They cannot afford vacancies while they increase their numbers on the management side. The ratio between managers and hourly employees is increasing, or decreasing, however you want to do the math."

Wentzell said he can't comment on global economics and AbitibiBowater's financial situation except to say he knows, as has been widely reported in the media, the company is dealing with huge amounts of debt.

He said he expects more mill closures but that, "We have been told we are a very efficient mill. We're basically the bar for other mills."

He added the union is once again recommending workers try to avoid using vacation time and open up unemployment claims - if they haven't done so – to ensure the wait period is reduced in case there is another shut-down after this one.