According to NAPE President Carol Furlong, “we have become aware that a replacement worker has been called in to carry out the cleaning services at the College of the North Atlantic, work which is ordinarily performed by a striking worker and her client.

“This a reprehensible act, said Furlong. It goes to the very heart of collective bargaining and is an action which is seen as deplorable by anyone who believes in the primacy of the bargaining process. In this case, a person with a disability has been laid off due to the strike and someone else has been hired as a replacement.

“It has become evident that this small group of workers and their clients are seen as disposable. It was evident from the start that there was a lack of understanding or a lack of respect for this group and the work they perform. The fact that scab labour is being used to carry out the work of persons with disabilities and their job coaches is almost unfathomable, said Furlong. Anyone with an ounce of moral integrity would decry this, she said.

The College is owned by the Department of Transportation and Works. The union is calling on government to put a stop to the scab labour and to take steps to get back to the bargaining table and reach a deal with these workers.

For further information, contact:
Carol Furlong at 570-2470; 570-2471