Unifor 'pushing and advocating' for laid-off Irving Paper workers

Unifor says it won't stop fighting for unionized paper mill workers receiving layoff notices this week from J.D. Irving Ltd.

Jennifer Murray, Atlantic regional director of Unifor, said 100 of the 140 people laid off from Irving's Saint John paper mill workforce are Unifor members.

"Today, we have to point our heads to these young families in Saint John and what their futures will look like," Murray told CBC Radio's Shift. "We're not going to stop pushing and advocating for these workers."

Workers of these specialized jobs were notified Monday they would be laid off officially within 45 days, said Murray.

"People are thrown into chaos … wondering where are they going, how are they going to put food on the table," said Murray.

The company has blamed the workforce cuts on what it called the province's "uncompetitive industrial electricity rates," saying increasing costs made it difficult for the company to remain competitive in an international market.

Murray said JDI was in discussion with Unifor regarding rising energy costs. Unifor had several meetings with the provincial government to find strategies to protect these jobs.

"The timing of this was not expected," said Murray. "Obviously, this demonstrates the importance of collaborating and moving forward together."

She said it's been all hands on deck since the news, with local and national members of the union meeting with JDI and government to make sure these workers' needs are met.

Shift - NB14:19Unifor fighting for paper mill workers

The ramifications of yesterday's shock announcement about job losses at the Irving paper plant in Saint John are starting to become clear. We'll hear from the union that represents most of the affected workers.

So far, JDI has said there may be opportunities for some of these workers to be put in positions elsewhere within the company. Murray said it is still very early in those discussions and how many workers may get these opportunities is unknown.

She is hopeful that JDI will reconsider these layoffs.

Unifor had a meeting with Natural Resources Minister John Herron Tuesday on strategies to bolster the forestry industry in the province.

Murray said these layoffs are just another blow to the industry that is already facing the threat of tariffs from the U.S.

"There hasn't been a whole lot of optimism in our conversations," said Murray.