Office of the Official Opposition
For Immediate Release

St. John's, NL (August 31, 2020) – Ches Crosbie, PC Official Opposition Leader and MHA for Windsor Lake, today expressed shock at the news that NL Carpenters Union, Local 579 of the Atlantic Canada Regional Council of Carpenters, Millwrights and Allied Workers has filed a complaint with the NL Privacy Commissioner. A complaint was filed after the Labour Relations Board sent signed worker application cards to the employer in error.

“According to the complaint filed by Local 579, the NL Carpenters Union was engaged in a legal certification process, at the request of employees, which has been totally compromised by the breach of privacy by the Labour Relations Board. The certification process has been corrupted and undermined by the breach committee by the very body entrusted to oversee the process. This is staggering.”

Crosbie noted he has heard that workers now fear reprisals as some have already been laid off.

“Shockwaves are reverberating through Marystown and the entire region. The larger implications for union certifications in the province cannot be understated,” added Jeff Dwyer, MHA for Placentia West-Bellevue and a former Vice-President of NAPE local 7501.

“How such a serious breach occurred in a quasi-judicial process demands an investigation to restore public confidence,” ended Crosbie.

Contacts:

Bradley Russell

Director of Communications and Digital Strategy

(p) 1.709.729.3668

BradleyRussell@gov.nl.ca

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