Mediator appointed in D-J Composites lockout in Gander, N.L.

Labour disruption ongoing since December 2016

After 313 days of a lockout of workers in Gander, N.L., an experienced independent mediator was appointed on Oct. 27, by the Newfoundland and Labrador government to attempt to resolve the dispute at D-J Composites.

John Roil, is a lawyer with extensive mediation experience and has served on several independent inquiries including the 2011 Vale inquiry in to the lengthy labour dispute in Voisey’s Bay, said Unifor.

“We can only hope that Roil will be able to bring his considerable skill to reach a fair collective agreement in what has been a very long and very difficult ten months for these 32 aerospace workers,” said Lana Payne, Atlantic regional director for Unifor.

In September, Payne and other Unifor officials met with Al Hawkins, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour to request the government use its authority under the Labour Relations Act to appoint a mediator to try and resolve the dispute or report back on what the obstacles are to a resolution of the ongoing labour dispute

The aerospace workers from local 587 were locked out by the employer on Dec. 19, 2016. In May 2017, the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Board found D-J Composites guilty of bad faith bargaining. The provincial labour department has provided conciliation services since August, said the union. 

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