New Democrats Win Key Victory For Forest Worker Rights
VICTORIA – New Democrats won a key victory for workers Tuesday, when they convinced the government not to repeal the Woodworkers Lien Act.
Bill Routley
In the legislature Tuesday, Cowichan Valley MLA and deputy forest critic Bill Routley made a plea to save the act, which gives individual workers the right to put liens on logs or lumber to ensure their wages are covered if companies go out of business. The proposed changes were part of Bill 21, the Forestry Service Providers Protection Act.
Routley said he supported the principle of the new act, which will ensure independent contractors are paid if a company goes bankrupt, but repealing the Woodworkers Lien Act would have left workers vulnerable.
“When Pope and Talbot went down in 2007, they left contractors in the Interior without payment and without the same rights as a normal creditor,” said Routley.
“The general purpose of the new legislation was essentially sound, but it opened up another hole, leaving fallers, loggers and mill workers in the situation the contractors would have found themselves in, with no right of payment for their work. The bill that was originally presented could have had devastating consequences for forestry workers and their families.”
On Tuesday, Forests Minister Pat Bell acknowledged the flaw in the legislation identified by Routley. Government MLAs joined with New Democrats to vote against the section of the bill which would have repealed the Woodworkers Lien Act, meaning that section will not be part of the act as passed.
“I thank the minister for recognizing the problem and ensuring that this error didn’t go forward,” said Routley. “We still have profound differences in terms of the direction of forest policy in this province, but I’m glad that he listened to reason on this issue.”
New Democrat leader Carole James has put forward a five-point plan to renew and modernize the forest industry. The plan includes: developing a green forest plan, developing an innovative and diverse industry, community and worker stabilization funding, and a permanent commission on forestry and tenure reform.
