Monday February 06th 2012 07:16am EST

The labour dispute between the FFAW and Ocean Choice International has stepped up a notch. On the weekend the company locked out the crew of the shrimp trawler Newfoundland Lynx, and has been trying to call in a replacement crew. Union members, who have been in talks with the company for some time, demonstrated at the dock in Bay Roberts yesterday. Union President Earle McCurdy says the FFAW has blacklisted the vessel and is discouraging people from accepting work from the company. McCurdy says the dispute goes beyond the current contract negotiations.

He says the company took the shrimp that the vessel always caught, and put it on a non-union boat, thereby reducing the earnings of the regular crew members. He says that's the kind of thing the company is trying to do with the groundfish exemptions its seeking from government, and he says the union is simply not going to put up with it.