To hear Nova Scotia Conservative Party leader Jamie Baillie tell it, Michelin North America canceled plans to expand its Waterville, N.S., plant because of a pro-labor law adopted in the province last year.
And it was all the fault of the province’s premier Darrell Dexter, according to Baillie in a recent interview with the Kings County Register.
According to a story on kingscountynews.com, “Baillie claimed that the first contract arbitration law – introduced late last year and passed by the provincial government, much to the opposition of companies like Michelin and Sobeys – is the reason Michelin canceled a job expansion in this province.
“In July, a media alert was sent to the Kings County Register by both the province and Michelin, indicating there would be an announcement at the Waterville plant that week, with Premier Darrell Dexter in attendance. Shortly afterwards, another alert was sent, saying that the announcement had been canceled. No reason was given for the cancellation.”
MNA has made no statement regarding the canceled announcement.
“The announcement has been talked about for a while now – they issued a press release, then came back and said they were putting it off,” Dexter said in July news stories. “It’s their time table, it’s their company. Our relationship with them is a very good one, and whenever they’re ready to move forward, I’ll be happy to be there.”
Baillie has a different theory, though: "Premier Dexter owes it to Nova Scotians to tell them honestly why Michelin canceled their expansion plans for Waterville. Annapolis Valley workers needed those Michelin jobs and the Premier should be accountable to them, not the union leaders who wanted First Contract Arbitration.”
First Contract Arbitration helps newly unionized workers secure its first contract with an employer by forcing them to arbitration.
“I believe the premier knows why that announcement was canceled and he should share that. If it is the first arbitration law, he should rip it up,” he said. “In my opinion, if we have a cost-free way of attracting jobs, instead of mass corporate cuts, we should do it. Michelin is telling us the best thing would be ripping up that law, get it off the books.”
