The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 19, 2003 - A3

Beawee dispute key problem
_ between union, New Skeena

By JEFF NAGEL
HOPE ‘for a deal to put

~ sawmill workers back to

work here has faded again

as anion officials and New
- Skeena’s boss cranked up
their war of words.

Dan -Venicz ‘fired first,

_ =. with a Feb, 3 letter to WA
“. bosses informing them he’s
withdrawn -his Dee. 13

offer. :

“Both sides had indica-

..ted-a--deal- might be close
‘based on that proposal —
_ the'union had agreed to a
~, 20 per cent wage roltback .
“and: job flexibility while

vacation pay seemed to be

“the main outstanding issue.

~sBut. talks broke off with
the company vowing to

~ pursue agreements with
other workers. and union
members: here . drawing

strike pay. .
ove *PThey-” want seven
- weeks of holidays and the
“answer is no,” Veniez
oo said,

-» “Rather than play

around any more I've just

told them I’m taking my
~~ offer off the table,” Veniez
‘said. “They basically told
What.else am |.

me ‘No.’

- to-do?”

IWA local 2171 presi-
dent Darrel Wong respon-
ded with.a Feb. 5 letter
giving Veniez 30 days to

"sign the IWA’s last propo-
o "gab to the company or else

it; too, will be withdrawn.
Wong. said that deal

~ would give New Skcena
‘the lowest cost collective

agreement in the province,

= “miles ahead” of any B.C.

competitor.
The coast master agrec-

ment will remain in place
~ in*the absence of a new
deal;

he. said.
~ But union members’ se-

niority- rights - disappear

over the next two months, ,
::Veniez has said, adding he
:-would’then be free to hire
different workers at the
~ plant.. ,

es * Theyre: trying to. play: wee
“hardball” with respect: to
seniority retention,” Wong

rth
gone cet
i

gE

IWA MEMBERS began picketing last Thursday out-

side New Skeena’'s Terrace sawmill. They say

“they've ve been locked out and want the province to
Increase pressure on the company to start its mill.

that are currently laid off.”

Wong said such a tactic
wouldn’t necessarily get
Veniez the contract he
wants. ,

“The operation will
never return to work with-
out our members in it,” he
vowed,

“] don’t think this com-
pany has any g-----n money
anyway,” he added.

Veniez said the union’s
intransigence has made his
job of raising financing
much more difficult.

-“When they say ‘We

- need seven weeks paid va- °

cation’ that. doesn’t come

‘as terribly reasonable or

logical to. someone I’m

asking to spend $25 mil-

lion on the business.”
Veniez said he’s lining

up deals to feed chips to
‘the pulp mill, further redu-
cing the need to start saw-
mills,

The pulp mill remains
on track to restart on May
1, he added, and take ad-
vantage of pulp price .in-
creases that have spiked to
at least US $520 per tonne.

There -are no plans to

open the sawmill here.
“That’s not an uitima-
tum, that’s not a threat,
that’s the basic economics
of the business,” Veniez
said. “It’s nothing short of
a tragedy that a good mill
like Terrace with good
people manning it lies dor-
mant. But we will not
make the same mistakes,”

es its name

Company chan

SKEENA CELLULOSE Inc. is no more.
The company was officially renamed New Skeena
Forest Products last week, owners NWBC Timber and

Pulp Ltd. announced.
_. They. said, the Skeena name continues to command
‘respect in the global industry; bul’ needed*an? "update to“

reflect the transformation underway since emerging from
bankruptcy protection early last year.

mill and four sawmills from the provincial government
Jast April.

It paid $6 million, plus $2 million to unsecured credi-
tors, and is committed lo repay back Property taxes over
ihe next several years. ;

>The new namé didn’t come: out: of: “a: “cont st; which
yielded 300 other prospective names: ‘Company officials
said many of the ideas were good, but already held by

News In Brief

Bulk buy saves money

THE NORTHERN HEALTH Authority (NHA) is
expanding a bulk buy purchase plan throughout the
north. A deal with a national organization called
Medbuy already is saving an estimated $400,000 a
year in and around Prince George bul NHA offi-
cials hope to add $230,000 to that total by expand-
ing the purchase plan everywhere else.

“Medbuy's partnership with the Northern Health
Authority boosts our purchasing power on national-
level contracts,” said Maleolm Maxwell, the chief
exccutive officer of the NHA.

The plan is to take whatever is saved and put it ©
toward patient care, he added.

Medbuy nationally negotiates $220 million in
contracts between suppliers and health authorities
across the country, The firm is a private sector,
not-for-profit company, owned and supported by its
members. Each of the 16 organizations that make
up the Northern Health Authority had separate pur-
chasing arrangements previously.

Medbuy supply contracts cover about 42 per cent
of all hospital purchases in the NHA, valued at
about $7 mitlion/year. This includes products such
as surgical gloves, wound dressings, and operating
room instruments.

But because Medbuy negotiates the purchase of
supplies fram wholesalers in such huge quantities,
the NHA receives lower prices.

No pot, please

DON’T legalize it. That’s the message school
trustees want education minister Christy Clark and
other provincial ministers to take to federal offi-
cials.

The Coast Mountains school board has come out
against legalizing marijuana, a drug trustees say
poses a health threat ta students.

The board plans to write a letier to Clark outlin-
ing their case against legalizing marijuana,

The district will send copies-to a host of provin-
cial and federal ministers, including B.C, Attorney
General Geoff Plant and federal justice minister
Anne McLellan.

A similar stance has already been taken by the
Pawell River school district.

A few years ago, the City of Terrace decided to
make local schools and their immediate surraund-
ings into “drug-free zones”,

Slow passports

_SKEENA MP Andy Burton says delays of more
han six weeks in processing passport applications
are unacceptable.

- *My constituency office has been inundated with
calls from hundreds of angry constituents who have
been forced to cancel trips costing them thousands
of dollars,” Burton said in the House of Commons
Feb. 12.

Vancouver and Victoria residents can submit ap-

‘plications at government offices and have their

passports in 10 working days, Burton. said, while:
mail-in‘ applications required ‘here take much ‘long-
er.

said. “He's threatening not
“to employ our members

NWBC bought the company, its forest licences, pulp other companies elsewhere.

You are invited to the

Traditional Land
of the Nisga’a

to Celebrate

February 21 & 22, 2003 at
Gitwinksihlkw, Nass River

Food ¢ Songs ¢ Dancing.

Chairman, Clifford Azak 633-2684
Dance Groups 633-2240 or 633- 2684
Billets 633-2584 or 633-2991

Arts & Crafts Booths Donna Alexee 633-2845
Fashion Show Director Monica Morven 633-2419 |
Shirley Morven 633-2102 .

Fax information to

: iota Jon mh
: opus heart
nape mo abet AF wor a pre Pe et ae