Thank you very much.
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers—Unifor represents 15,000 working women and men throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Most of our members are employed in the fishing industry and are spread out in more than 500 communities in every region of the province. There are 10,000 employed in fish harvesting and 3,000 in fish processing.
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on our province's fishing industry. Many fisheries have been delayed by more than a month at what would have been the beginning of valuable crab and lobster seasons, due to safety concerns related to the pandemic. Now that fisheries are up and running in Newfoundland, market challenges are severely impacting incomes.
To put it in context, last year's fishery was worth $1.5 billion to the economy. The snow crab fishery alone was valued at more than $350 million at the dock. Losses related to the pandemic could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, and this is devastating for coastal communities.
Workers continue to be concerned about safety on the job and about how a shortened season will impact their income. Both harvesters and plant workers rely on employment insurance to supplement income during the off-season. For harvesters, these EI benefits are based on earnings, not insurable hours. With most harvesters expecting a significant decline in earnings this year, many were rightly worried about qualifying for benefits once the fishing season ends. They were relieved to hear the federal government's announcement last week of changes to fishing EI so that harvesters can use the previous year's earnings to qualify in 2020, in addition to the new wage subsidy and grant for fishing enterprise owners.
It will be important to ensure that these programs are implemented to achieve their intended goals and that harvesters don't fall through the cracks. Consideration must be given to fishing enterprises that are severely impacted or have no opportunity at all to sell their catch.
Processing workers face similar struggles. Those workers rely on EI benefits and were left out of the recent federal announcement for harvesters. Like harvesters, processing workers are on the front lines, working to provide fresh, high-quality seafood to domestic and international markets, feeding coastal communities and supporting many fishing families.
Given the delays in the season and the market challenges that have limited the amount of seafood we will process and export, many processing workers may see reduced work and income, and thus may not have enough hours to qualify for adequate EI benefits to carry them through until next year. These workers will need support from the government, either by an extension to CERB or through changes to seasonal EI, similar to the recent changes to fishing EI that will ensure they can qualify based on last year.
The inshore fishery is the primary economic driver in a majority of our coastal communities. Jobs in the fishery provide good middle-class incomes in rural communities, which is why support for the industry in the short term is so critical. Protecting and promoting a fishery that serves communities, addresses challenges in food security and provides good wages and safe workplaces must be priorities for all levels of government and all stakeholders in our industry if we want to come out of this pandemic with vibrant and sustainable coastal communities and an economy where no one is left behind.
Thank you.