Change the law to protect pensions, say Wabush pensioners

Retired workers at Wabush Mines are calling on government to introduce legislation to save their pensions. 

• Government didn't protect Wabush pensioners, Ron Barron says
• Cliffs needs to better protect Wabush pensioners, Dwight Ball says

It's just a very frustrating process ... when this could have been changed years ago.- Ron Barron

More than 250 people voiced their concerns to government representatives Wednesday evening, looking for an update on what's happening.

Among the group was retired Wabush Mines employee, Ron Barron.

He says governments, both provincially and federally, haven't played a strong enough role in the situation and more needs to happen.

"This is not just unique to Labrador West and Wabush, this is happening right across Canada so this is a fight that we have to take right across Canada," Barron told CBC's Labrador Morning.

"This has to change because it's an injustice that is happening to people who worked their whole lives trying to secure a future in their retirement … and as bad as what the hit is now it could be worse, we don't know."

The financially troubled mine, owned by Cliffs Natural Resources, closed in 2014, and regulators are winding up its under-funded pension plans.

The plans are underfunded by about $47 million dollars, and a Quebec Superior court gave the company permission to stop paying into them until the end of bankruptcy proceedings for its troubled Canadian assets.

People in those plans face cuts of 20 per cent or more in their pensions.

'Frustrating process'

MP Yvonne Jones, MHA Graham Letto and Wabush Mayor Colin Vardy were at the meeting with pensioners, representing all three levels of government.

Barron said it's up to the federal government to force companies in danger of bankruptcy to pay into their pensions before other creditors.

While it was a good meeting, he said Jones was told numerous times by people, that they feel like they're being forgotten.

"She guarantees that she's doing a lot of things behind the scenes … but we don't hear that … people want to hear is that someone's out fighting for them," said Barron, understanding there are hurdles that government needs to get over before anything can change.

"I did remind the MP that, you know, they do have a majority government ... and to say that they can't change the laws and make them retroactive, well, they can — because they are the government and they make the laws."

"It's just a very frustrating process ... when this could have been changed years ago, it was tried years ago ... and here we are dealing with this issue again and it's going to happen again ... where we see companies come in here and take our resources and they simply walk away."

Moving Forward

Barron said they will continue fighting to ensure working men and women in Canada are protected, and when companies negotiate contracts they live up to them.

They're just orchestrating what their plan was all along, not to live up to the obligations that they signed off on.- Ron Barron

He added that Cliffs is not bankrupt, they're still operating and they split their operations in Canada a few years ago.

He said "they're just orchestrating what their plan was all along, not to live up to the obligations that they signed off on".

Going forward, Barron said the biggest thing they're dealing with is getting information on the number of issues they are facing.

A committee has been set up to communicate with both retirees and those still employed with the company, so they know someone is working on their behalf.

"We got to make sure our story is being heard and told ... information is the biggest thing that people can be armed with and that's how we got to move forward," Barron told CBC.

When asked about the pending sale of Bloom Lake and a possible buyer for Wabush Mines, Barron said it if it happens it will help some people but "until it happens ... you hear lots of things, and you don't know what to think and what to believe".