Paper Excellence Canada, the owners of Howe Sound Pulp and Paper (HSPP), has agreed to a new contract with HSPP workers represented by Unifor. Unifor local 1119 president Don Rheaume said the agreement was ratified Aug. 1, with members voting 79 per cent in favour of the four-year deal.
Rheaume said as well as a two per cent wage increase in each of the four years, the agreement includes a $1.50 per hour increase for trades people and benefit improvements.
Most importantly, the contract includes a letter of understanding on having a full-time, paid union safety representative.
WorkSafe BC reports from last fall showed safety issues were an ongoing concern at the Port Mellon mill, and suggested the layoffs that followed the shutdown of the paper side of HSPP, which was announced in July 2015, were impacting the effectiveness of the joint health and safety committee (see Coast Reporter, Nov. 25 2016).
“A full-time paid safety rep is ground breaking in our industry and was a top priority for the union at this set of negotiations,” Rheaume told Coast Reporter. “It is a very progressive commitment from the employer to further improve safety at the mill.”
Kathy Cloutier, the company’s director of corporate communications, said workplace safety is a priority in all its mill locations and the move to establish a full-time union safety representative is “part of [our] ongoing commitment to ensure Howe Sound Pulp and Paper remains a safe workplace for all employees.”
Cloutier also said the company’s agreement with Unifor follows a similar contract reached between Canfor and its Unifor workers earlier this year.
