Steelworkers find BC politicians unaware of extent of Forest Industry crisis: Ministers ask laid-off workers for solutions

VICTORIA - This week a group of rank and file forest workers knocked on the doors of provincial politicians to demand immediate government action on the large scale social and economic crisis that has gripped the BC Forest Industry.

Workers met with BC Cabinet Ministers, some of whom seemed unaware of the extent of the crisis, despite over 10,000 jobs being lost in the last year alone and 20,000 jobs since 2001.

Instead, government ministers and MLAs asked the workers for their solutions to industry problems.

"We found it astounding that our elected officials have no answers and are asking our unemployed members for solutions when we were in the legislative buildings trying to find out what they are doing are going to do to assist the industry, workers and communities," said Leslie McNabb, a log scaler from Black Creek on Vancouver Island.

Lobbyist Kalev Uustal, from the permanently closed Canfor Panel and Fibre plant in New Westminster, said, "Neither Premier Campbell nor his office would take even five minutes to meet with us. Mr. Campbell does not understand how much workers and communities are suffering."

Steelworkers said that, in a meeting with New Democratic Party MLAs, the opposition seems more aware of the nature of the problem and offered some concrete solutions which, if implemented, could get some mills operating or give communities and workers some hope.

"We are deeply concerned for the future of our industry, our communities and our jobs," said USW Western Canada Director Stephen Hunt. "We need to stop the bleeding now but the government shares no such sense of urgency."

Hunt said that the union will soon launch a major campaign aimed at raising awareness of issues in the forest sector and to convince the government to act.