Significant progress' made in shipyard contract talks

Look like progress!!

"Talks between the Irving family-owned Halifax Shipyard and the union representing its workers adjourned Thursday with “significant progress,” the union said.

Negotiations between the two parties on a three-year collective agreement started in December after a one-year extension on the existing contract expired.

The Canadian Auto Workers-Marine Workers Federation, which represents 1,000 workers at the Halifax Shipyard, filed for conciliation.

After four days of conciliated talks during the past two weeks, the two sides adjourned negotiations until the last week of September.

“We don’t bargain in the press,” Jamie Vaslet, business agent for Local 1 of the union, said in an interview Thursday.

“We are making progress. We’re getting through a difficult set of bargaining.”

Yard owner Irving Shipbuilding Inc. was equally close-mouthed, although also cautiously optimistic.

“The process is continuing, progress is being made and we are all working hard toward an agreement,” Irving spokeswoman Deborah Hashey said via email.

Any sort of labour unrest would be a blow to the shipyard as it begins to prepare for the recently awarded $25-billion federal shipbuilding contract.

Ottawa announced last fall that the shipyard had won the bid to build 21 navy combat vessels under its $35-billion national shipbuilding procurement project.

Irving is also in contract negotiations with Ottawa to build six Arctic offshore patrol vessels as the initial phase of that 30-year project.

Hashey said the shipyard has hired a “small number” of executives, naval architects and engineers with combat vessel experience from the United States and United Kingdom to help with the frigate contracts.

While some shipyard workers had privately complained that new hires were putting local jobs in jeopardy, Vaslet said none of the yard’s union members are on layoff.

“The company is actively recruiting steelworkers, electricians, ironworkers, all of the major trades,” said Vaslet.

With business reporter Colleen Cosgrove

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By JOHN DeMONT Business Reporter"