Future not so bright for piping trades apprentices, union says

A Newfoundland and Labrador labour leader says there's "no chance" of jobs for about 500 apprentices in the piping trades who want to join the plumbers and pipefitters' union.

Jim Myers says it's a consequence of a pending downturn in the local job market, and an overly aggressive campaign by the provincial government to direct people into the skilled trades.

• N.L. to lose 24,000 jobs over next three years

Myers, business manager with Local 740 Plumbers and Pipefitters of Newfoundland, said things are currently going "very, very well" for the union's mebers. "We've pretty well got full employment" for every journeyperson and apprentice in the union, he added. 

But the 500 people who have completed a basic pre-employment course in a piping trade and want to join the union are not so fortunate.

These people paid roughly $15,000 in fees, plus the cost of living, and had high hopes of finding good-paying jobs.

However, "we just don't have work for these people," said Myers.

'Money out of their pockets'

This oversupply of workers comes after many years of extensive campaigning and investment by the Newfoundland and Labrador government to bolster numbers in the skilled trades.

Myers said he was voicing concerns several years ago that the numbers being trained were just too high.

He said it's fortunate that some companies have "gone over the above the terms of the agreements" when it comes to hiring apprentices.

He singled out Vale, the company that is building the massive nickel processing plant in Long Harbour.

He said it's not right to be encouraging people to enter the trades "just to get money out of their pockets," adding that it's "great for the institutions, but it's terrible for the individuals."

He added that "when these people come to my door, they're expecting that I'm going to kiss them and say, 'where do you want to go to work?' That's just not the case."

Work leaving the province

Myers blames part of the problem on the practice of sending work outside of Newfoundland and Labrador, when it can be completed right here.

"These are our resources … and we want to put these people to work," he said. 

If some components of a project have to be completed elsewhere because of scheduling reasons or due to the amount of work that needs to be done, Myers said he can live with that.

But during the early days of the nickel processing plant in Long Harbour, Myers said he had 500 to 600 union members inactive, and work was being done for the project in the United States.

He said work also left Marystown and was transferred to South Korea, while other metal work was done in Italy.

"I just don't support that and I'm surprised there's not more outrage from the people of Newfoundland and Labrador," he said.

Future projects not a certainty

On the positive side, Myers said it's reassuring that the province predicts that some 64,000 job openings will emerge in the next decade.

He is upbeat about some of the projects that may be developed in the future, including the Bay du Nord oil discovery in the Flemish Pass and Vale's underground mine in Voisey's Bay.

But he said that's also a "crap shoot" because "anything can change on short notice."

He referenced the price of oil, which has tumbled dramatically over the past year and seriously threatened the province's financial situation.