Under threat of arrest from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, striking Dominion employees were forced to allow trucks to leave the Weston Foods bakery grounds early Wednesday morning.
Police had arrived at the picket line Tuesday evening to warn picketers of their impending arrest but the officers left shortly afterwards. At about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, they arrived in much larger numbers and used a loudspeaker to warn the members of Unifor Local 597 they would be arrested if they did not allow trucks to leave.
After some discussions between union leadership, police and union members, strikers decided to peacefully abandon the picket line so trucks could leave the lot.
About 1,400 Dominion workers across the province have been on strike since Aug. 22, after rejecting Loblaws’ offer of a $1-per-hour wage increase over three years.
The union says Dominion, which is owned by Loblaws, cut more than 60 full-time jobs in Newfoundland last year and more than 80 per cent of workers are classified as part time with limited benefits, no sick days and no vacation, along with minimum-wage pay.
Keith Gosse
[email protected]
@TelyPhotoGosse
With files from Tara Bradbury
