Fisheries union Earle McCurdy took a political chainsaw to the provincial government on Tuesday, accusing the governing Conservatives of buying “right into [OCI’s] sales pitch without there being any evidence of trying to negotiate anything better.”
McCurdy claimed that if OCI gets permission to export fish for processing, then the province is “on the brink of a major loss of control over public resources.”
According to the Telegram:
McCurdy argued that corporate greed was behind the plant closures, and the government should be pressing more aggressively to protect processing jobs in the province.
For his part, fisheries minister Darin King accused McCurdy of playing games.
As CBC reported:
"Playing games, spreading propaganda and not keeping the best interest of the people in mind is not the way to go about it," King told reporters.
"I think that this is exactly what the FFAW is doing, and I believe wholeheartedly that it is inappropriate, irresponsible, and not certainly in the best interests of the members of the union."
King is right on everything except one point. McCurdy may not be acting in the best interests of the plant workers or the people of the province.
But Earle doesn’t get paid to act in his members’ best interests, nor does he give a toss for the best interests of the fishery or the province.
He can take a chainsaw to anyone and to anything he wants. Facts don’t matter. Worst case scenario: the plants close, a few of his members are out of work but another bunch are working full-time to pay dues. McCurdy looks like he fought for the guys on the unemployment line. He gets to keep his job.
All we are seeing is lowest common denominator politics of the worst kind.
And McCurdy’s good at it.
- srbp -