St. John's dock workers say some cruise ships are improperly using foreign labourers to unload luggage
Longshoremen's union says the offloading should be done by local dock workers
The Longshoremen's Protective Union, or LSPU, is accusing some cruise vessels of using foreign nationals to unload luggage in St. John's, work which they say should be done by local dock workers.
The union gathered about a dozen workers for a protest at the St. John's harbourfront Saturday morning.
LSPU Local 1953 president Chris Gosse says local union members should be the only ones doing dockside work.
"We got expedition cruise vessels coming to our port loading and unloading cargo, and they're excluding us from our historical core jurisdiction and our historical work," said Gosse.
"There's issues with being excluded from our work. We have junior members that don't have enough work to have a good standard of living and to make family-sustaining wages."
The LSPU started organizing in 1890, and local dock workers have been loading and unloading vessels in St. John's for more than 134 years, said Gosse.
He said while he has been questioning both the City of St. John's and the St. John's Port Authority on the issue for over a year, he hasn't received a definitive answer. Yet, he said, he witnessed violations himself when a cruise ship was in port on Sept. 30.
"We caught foreign seafarers unloading luggage about three weeks ago, so we've been making it an issue since then," said Gosse.
CBC News has reached out to the owner of that ship for an interview, but did not hear back before publication.
Gosse points toward a December 2020 letter he says is from the Canadian Border Services Agency that discusses the legality of the situation. A copy of the CBSA letter Gosse sent to CBC News states that "as this pertains to foreign crew members arriving into Canada aboard international vessels, it must be noted that foreign crew may not perform dockside functions such as the loading or unloading of cargo, without a work permit and a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. Such activities are would be in direct contravention of ... the [Immigration and Refugee Protection Act], as it is considered working without authorization."
"So, where is Transport Canada and the Public Safety Ministry of Canada in all this?" said Gosse. "For us to work on the docks, we have to have a Transport Canada security clearance. Right now, we have non-union labour and foreign seafarers doing our work on the docks. That's an issue for us."
He said if the act was changed since then, he wants to have an explanation on that decision.
"When was it changed and why was it changed? Because this is something that's never happened to us before in the history of our union. Our recognition was always respected," said Gosse. "We will be pushing to continue to find answers and we'll be looking to make those people who made those bad decisions accountable."
The union's concerns though, he said, go beyond potential violations of immigration law, and are regarding the rights of both local and foreign workers.
"We want to make sure that other people and foreign seafarers aren't being exploited on our docks. And if there's any dock work, the dockers should be doing the work," said Gosse.
"The government shouldn't be giving away tax paying jobs to people that aren't Canadian citizens. That's an issue for us."
The issue of cruise vessels ignoring dock workers' unions, he said, also exists in other Atlantic Canadian ports, including Halifax and Corner Brook. Gosse, who said he has emailed both provincial and federal politicians, hopes that the union will receive a response to its concerns following Saturday's protest. The LSPU has also filed grievances with their employer, the St. John's Shipping Association, and is looking into filing complaints with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.
"It remains to be seen what transpires between now and the cruise season next year," said Gosse. "But we're going to be vigilant and make sure we keep light shed on this issue."
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