'Stand up, fight back': Woodward employees rally against reflagged vessels
Seafarers' Union says 104 employees laid off weeks before Christmas
About a dozen employees rallied in Lewisporte Tuesday in protest of Woodward Coastal Shipping laying off 104 local workers to hire low-wage foreign employees.
The Seafarers' International Union of Canada said the company is focused on cutting costs at the expense of local jobs.
"Our executive board met with the company multiple times trying to work on different leave days systems to reduce travel costs," said Josh Sanders, with the union.
"We tried to work with the company. We met with them multiple times and the company didn't want to hear it."
Workers chanted "stand up, fight back," at the rally in front of the Sten Fjord, one of the vessels being reflagged to allow the company to replace the Canadian crew with foreign workers.
Multiple employees told CBC News they found out they were being laid off after they saw a post on Facebook.
Some were just days away from their next 45-day term on a Woodward Coastal Shipping vessel when they found out they were being replaced.
Will impact local economy, too, says union
Sanders said most were handed lay off notices in the weeks before Christmas.
"Stand up, fight back," Woodwards Coastal Shipping employees rally against re-flagged vessel in Lewisporte today. <a href="https://t.co/xH4X1hpGhB">https://t.co/xH4X1hpGhB</a> <a href="https://t.co/zrM2jFGLm3">pic.twitter.com/zrM2jFGLm3</a>
—@ChrisEnsingCBC"This will also impact the local economy because our guys aren't going to be spending their money on goods and services in the area," said Sanders.
The majority of the 104 laid off employees live in central Newfoundland, Sanders said, with others working out of St. John's and the west coast of Newfoundland.
Woodward Coastal Shipping did not immediately respond to a CBC News request for comment.