Some 100 workers at Maritime Paper, members of Local 1520 of the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union in Dartmouth, NS, walked out on strike on Friday, March 9th, after the employer refused to back down on its demands for concessions.
The members, who had been in a legal strike position since February 18th, had voted in favour of strike action by an overwhelming majority of 90 per cent.
The company is making demands for concessions on pensions, benefits and flexibility around scheduling, with no explanation of its rationale, CEP reports in a news release.
Last year, Maritime Paper Products received a $2.1-million term loan and a four-year $201,375 payroll rebate, tied to the company maintaining its 118 full-time production employees.
At the time, Premier Darrell Dexter touted the investment as an opportunity for the company to “secure high-value jobs for Nova Scotians,” the CEP says.
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