Muskrat Falls workers 'anxious to get back to work'

A construction union umbrella group says it is working with contractors to get workers sent home from the Muskrat Falls site during environmental protests back on the job.

• Protest site cleared out after Muskrat Falls agreement reached
• 'It's frustrating': Muskrat Falls workers want resolution

Darin King, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Building and Construction Trades Council, said Friday there was some uncertainty during the process of getting more than 1,000 workers off the site, but they're ready to get back to work.  

"Now we're into a state of hopefully some things getting settled out and getting people back to work," he said.

"It's been very hectic, but we're certainly looking forward to putting things behind us getting our workers back on site." 

Tense situation

King said the situation was tense during the protest, but everyone was happy no one was hurt. 

"Our members were very anxious. Then when the decision was made by Nalcor and the police to close the site and move people home, there was a lot of anxiousness, a lot of people up 24 hours," he said.

"Everyone now are just happy that there were no injuries and nothing went wrong through this process, and now, I think people are just anxious to get back to work." 

King said workers understood the protesters had concerns, and he didn't think morale would be an issue now,

"I think morale was probably challenged during the process, because there were a lot of anxious moments where people were trying to get out to the gate on [a] bus … but I think they handled it very well and very professionally." 

Workers 'in limbo'

King said only essential employees were left at Muskrat Falls, leaving a large number out of work. 

"Before the protest started, we probably had a little more than 2,000, probably 2,100 people there, that through the demobilization and getting people home we went down to 200," he said.

"There's more than 1,000 — 1,200 or 1,300 people really — that are in limbo at that stage as we try and find our way forward with the contractors to get people back on site."

Despite the provincial government's plan to do further environmental research following the protests, King said there is still plenty of work to be done on the project, with a powerhouse, spillway and dam still to be built.

"There's still a lot of work ongoing that can and will continue parallel with any other work that government has committed to as a result of this protest," he said.

King said he met with contractors Thursday and offered the support of the Newfoundland and Labrador Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents more than 20,000 workers in 16 construction trade unions.

He said the provincial government's decision to explore further land clearing could mean more work for those on the site, however it's too early to know.