More than two dozen former Winton Global Lumber sawmill workers gathered at the parent company's offices Monday to demand answers to an unprecedented, lengthy shut down.
The sawmill is entering its fourth year of an indefinite shut down, and workers want action from the company: Open up the mill, or cut them their severance cheques.
The workers, some of whom have found other jobs, say it is not reasonable to continue an indefinite shutdown for years and years. The United Steelworkers local 1-424 is pursuing a complaint on behalf of the workers.
The Sinclar Group, the parent company of Winton Global, have said they will not consider a re-opening until the U.S. housing market recovers to more normal levels. (Canfor Corp. owns a one-third stake in Winton Global Lumber). With American housing starts at the 500,000 level, they are about half to one third of normal levels. Industry observers do not expect a quick recovery.
"Give us what is due to us," former Winton Global sawmill worker Chin Grewal told the assembly at the Sinclar Group's office in a commercial area on Nicholson Street.
Sinclar Group president Greg Stewart said the company has been meeting with former workers for the past nine months, and understands they are frustrated the company has not been able to give them a definitive answer. However, Stewart said they are still not in a position to make a decision on the sawmill. He said he could not provide a timeline for a decision. "At this point, I can't provide any more certainty," said Stewart.
Asked if there was not going to be an immediate decision on the mill, why not pay out the severance, Stewart said that is a tough decision that has implications for retaining the workforce.
Because the workers have long years of service, the severance cost could run into millions of dollars.
Grewal told the workers at the event -- organized to raise the public profile of their concerns -- they are frustrated Winton Global is selling the timber which had run the sawmill that created more than 200 jobs.
The workers have also sent a letter to B.C. Forests Minister Steve Thomson, calling on the province to take back Winton Global Lumber's timber harvesting rights and responsibilities. (See sidebar).
Grewal told workers he was prepared to come back and protest again at Sinclar's offices, and even go as far as blockading Winton Global's timber on logging roads. "I'm not going to their meetings any more to listen to their song and dance," said Grewal, 53, who worked at Winton Global for nearly 40 years.
In an interview, Grewal said as a millwright he was in a much better position than some workers. He has been able to find other work.
But he said it has been much tougher on some less-skilled workers, who are in an age range where it is tough to find work, but are still too young to retire.
Winton Global like other sawmills in northern B.C. were caught in 2007-2008 in a U.S. housing collapse, later exacerbated by a global financial recession and the increased value of the Canadian dollar compared to the U.S. currency.
Some sawmills have re-opened, largely tapping into a new and emerging market in China, but other mills were closed down permanently or remain indefinitely idled.
Canfor's Rustad Bros. sawmill in Prince George is on the indefinitely idled list. It closed down two years ago, and workers there have similar complaints: They want the mill to be re-opened, or they want their severance pay.
WORKERS APPEAL TO FORESTS MINISTRIES
Former workers at the Winton Global Lumber sawmill have written a letter to B.C. Forests Minister Steve Thomson, asking him to take the mill's timber harvesting rights.
The workers are making the request as the mill enters the fourth year of a closure the company is calling indefinite.
The forests minister had not received the letter sent out Monday.
"Due to changes in the forest act, Winton Global retains their forest licences and they are allowed to sell timber to other operations while employees are held hostage with no consideration for their years of service," the workers wrote.
Sweeping forestry policy changes introduced by the B.C. Liberal government in 2004 loosened rules that had tied timber to a specific mill.
According the B.C. Ministry of Forests 2001 timber apportionment data for the Prince George Timber Supply Area, Winton Global holds a long-term, renewable licence for 505,541 cubic metres per year. That's equivalent to about 11,000 logging truck loads of timber.
