Meeting yes, media no: FFAW to hear from protesters but not interested in 'spectacle'
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) will meet with fish harvesters who protested outside the union building on Monday, but says media will not be allowed to sit in.
"To have [media] in the meeting, and to really make something a spectacle is not really what we're interested in," Keith Sullivan, president of the FFAW, told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.
"Obviously [we're] happy to meet with members, but to have a spectacle and something that's only going to further embarrass our industry ... we have no interest in doing that."
Protesters first rallied outside the Fisheries and Oceans Canada building where Richard Gillett — vice-president of the Federation of Independent Seafood Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) — held his 11-day hunger strike and headed to the offices of the FFAW on Monday.
They demanded a meeting with the union, and that media be present during that meeting.
Sullivan said the FFAW spoke with its executive and inshore council members to discuss the situation and agreed to a Wednesday meeting, but just with the harvesters.
"We said we would meet with some harvesters — among them obviously are supporters of FISH-NL — but just to be clear, we do hundreds and hundreds of meetings every year. We've met with many of these people in different venues and different places throughout the province," Sullivan said Tuesday.
"We always meet with people, but we had no advance ask as of yesterday about a meeting so it came in the form of a protest."
RNC alerted FFAW to protest
The FFAW offices were closed Monday ahead of the protest after the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary spoke with the union Sunday evening about the potential demonstration.
"I feel it was a desperate attempt and it's going down the wrong path when you get to a point where there's threats of violence and vandalizing buildings," Sullivan said.
"That is not an environment for constructive discussions about how we're going to improve our fisheries for the future, that's for sure."
While Sullivan said the protest was organized by FISH-NL, a group of fishermen trying to break away from the FFAW, Gillett denied the claim.
"In the media [they're] portraying that FISH-NL set up a group to go to the FFAW building and I can tell you that yesterday it was 100 per cent fish harvester driven."
The protesters wanted to know if FISH-NL wanted to be a part of the meeting they were requesting, Gillett said.
"I can tell you right now that FISH-NL does not want to meet with the FFAW … [there's] no way that we want to negotiate with a group that's dragging down [the] Newfoundland and Labrador fishery."
