We Ought To Give The Prez Of The Chamber Some Smelling Salts

Monday, January 28, 2008 03:45 AM

When I listened to the President of the Chamber of Commerce in Prince George the other day I thought I would like to give him a dose of smelling salts.

He is suggesting that now would be a good time for those 3,000 forestry workers laid of from the various mills around BC to go to CNC or UNBC and upgrade themselves.

It would have been better to simply keep his mouth shut rather than make those kinds of comments.

Consider this , you are 57, have worked for the same mill for the past 32 years , now you are going to take some re training, a course for a couple of years that will give you a degree in Forest culture . So now you head out to the work place and say, Hi Mr. Manager, I’m 60 and this is my first job have you got any openings?

A little common sense would be in order.

Perhaps the Chamber Prez could be asking the various companies who have laid off staff whether these workers will receive severance or not? He might ask is it fair to lay them off for a year without giving them any compensation?

He might also ask along with all of the other people who have been to China just how we are going to prevent large lumber outlets from selling Chinese plywood, Chinese flooring, Chinese furniture , especially given that when we ship south of the border we have to pay a heft duty , but not so when we import from China.

He might also want to ask why we keep going back to China looking to “break into the market” when the only break -in has been taking place back home and they don’t send some politician here every year.

The Woods industry is bleeding and they need our help, instead of standing back and paying them lip service, it’s about time we stepped in to offer our help not our misguided ideas.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

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Posted on Monday, January 28, 2008 03:45 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: owl on January 28 2008 5:12 AM

Truckers can become mechanics ....

Harvesters can operate Amphibexes ....

Foresters can become lawyers .....

Line workers can become guide outfitters ....

Hey ..... didn't we do something like that already with forest workers just a while back???

Have computer, will travel ....

Posted by: gitterdun on January 28 2008 9:12 AM

.......and what do the mechanics from the equipment and truck dealers upgrade themselves to? Or the salesmen, partsmen, and all the other people that are not forestry workers but are dependant upon the health of the industry?

The 3000 workers laid off are mill workers....how many loggers and truckers are affected?

If you are self-employed, as many truckers, mechanics, loggers, etc are, you do not qualify for un-employment insurance. How do you support your family and pay for this upgrading, and if you are not from PG as many aren't, pay for your room & board there? How many years does it take to get a degree or certificate?

As they say, "sometimes its better to not say anything and appear stupid, than to say something and remove all doubt".

Posted by: Jim13135 on January 28 2008 9:13 AM

Not all the laid off workers are 57 years old either, so perhaps the chamber president isn't the only one that should take a little whiff of smelling salts??

Posted by: metalman on January 28 2008 9:37 AM

Good point Jim, for once I must side against Ben's opinion, reasonably accurate though it may be. Not all of the workers are "too old" for retraining, in fact we have already hired one of the W/Global guys and he had already enroled in 1st aid courses before we hired him. He will essentially be re-trained working here for us as well. He is early thirties. By the way, I do not believe that anyone is necessarily too old to do anything (but I am smart enough to know that I won't be dancing ballet again!;):) If the will is there, it can be done. The point would be, and here Ben is right, a 57 year old might rather retire than have to start over with something new, and, it could be difficult to find someone to hire you if you do not have any more experience than a fresh ticket from a course you just finished.
I hope and pray that there are'nt any 57 year olds who do not have their retirement savings secure.
metalman.

Posted by: Outwest on January 28 2008 10:26 AM

get another diploma in what? or need the chairs to be filled at CNC, can Companies not do training themselves ,lets open more Diploma mills to get the unemployed off the streets, looks good for the Statistics .

Posted by: Harbinger on January 28 2008 12:09 PM

Teach all the unemployed foresters how to show the trees to tourists. And make tourism a boost in the economy. Or teach them how to be a President of the Chamber of Commerce.

Posted by: Vinson500 on January 28 2008 12:11 PM

Hey Ben you have raised a really good point here. I recently attended the BC Natural Resources Forum. Hon. Richard Neufeld, Minister of Energy, Mines & Petroleum Resources spoke about the cancelation of the planned BC Hydro transmission line to the North West as Nova Gold had put their project on hold. In the same breath he talked about the great long term vision of W.A.C. Bennett in building the many hydro dams some years back that are now providing us with reliable low cost power. I believe that more pressure needs to be placed on the current government to complete the transmission line in light of what is happening in the forest sector. It's not a matter of if we need this line, just when... and we will if we are serious about supporting and growing our mining industry. The construction of the power line will provide some years of contract work for many displaced forest workers and help stabilize our Northern Ecomomy until lumber prices recover. As most of this province's first dollar in wealth creation is generated North of 100 Mile House I believe that its time to re-invest in the North.

Posted by: detoe43 on January 28 2008 2:04 PM

Metalman, good on you for hiring one of the thousands of "temporary" laid off workers.Two bigger problems:the use of the word temporary by Companies is just a delay tactic to get around union contracts. All they have to do is keep
the layoffs "temporary" for 2 years and
all employees lose seniority rights ie zero
compensation, no recall rights etc.
The other problem is as Meisner stated,
the reality is most of the mill workers
are 40+. I can assure you the average age
at Winton Global is around 50.Would Metal
man's company have hired any one over 40?
Age discrimination may be illegal, but it
is still alive & well in our business world,even skilled tradespeople are subject
to it. This is not complaining or whining
just the sad reality.

Posted by: bds on January 28 2008 10:16 PM

detoe has nailed it. In fact you all have very valid points and concerns. There is huge age discrimination in todays work place. I am in my early forties with a college diploma and have been beat in several occasions for jobs and promotions because a 25 year old with university is smater then I am????? what about my previous 25 years of experience or my common sense...which the new generation has yet to learn. Also, I am affected by the weak forestry markets and I don't work in a mill. There are as many non union, small business, contractors and private workers affected in the same way. Lets not always feel sorry for the unionized employee.....there are others that have more to loose!!!!! This sounds like the big Gov't employee lay-offs a few years back...Safeway and Joe Martin and Sons laid off as many workers as the Gov't did....but all we heard was the poor Gov't employee's...please do not be so selfish and remember that others contribute to this economy and community too!!!

Posted by: diplomat on January 29 2008 7:56 AM

"There is huge age discrimination in todays work place."

Well, that has to change because now that the mandatory retirement at age 65 has been removed it seems that people are expected to work past 65 and keep contributing to society because of their valued experience and know-how.

How can they do that if 45 is already considered to be too old???

Posted by: Chester on January 29 2008 8:18 PM

Getting a diploma does not mean you should automatically get a job. Graduation from a College or University does not necessarily mean you are employable, or qualified to to work either. That is part of the problem. Many people graduating from university are not skilled or experienced enough to go to work in the real world. Small Business Minister Thorpe heard that message often as he travelled around the province. Educated, but not skilled or trained to step into the real work environment. Employers don't have the time or resources to spend or invest in all these educated people. They want people who can go to work and begin helping their business grow, expand and prosper right away. That is not usually the case.

I would hire for personality and experience first and work on the rest later. An employee needs to begin earning their keep shortly after they are hired. Employers cannot and will not subsidize an employee for very long these days. Can't afford it. Chester

Posted by: Palopu on January 29 2008 8:57 PM

I agree Chester.