BC steel union calls for local fabrication on stadium project
Sunday, 21 Jun 2009
It is reported that the union representing workers in BC's steel fabrication industry wants the contract to build the new retractable roof at BC Place stadium to be awarded to a local company.
Mr Rene Watteel business manager of Ironworkers Local 712 said that "The decision to award the contract is pending and we hope to influence decision makers to give consideration to the local market. Logic tells us there are four bidders and it’s an open bid that will go to the lowest bidder. If local contractors win the contract, the fabrication will be done here. If we are not the lowest bidder, there should still be consideration for fabricators here."
Ironworkers Local 712 and the BC Federation of Labor has sounded an urgent warning about the possible loss of 150 direct and hundreds more indirect jobs, if a major contract for part of the new USD 365 million retractable roof at BC Place is awarded outside BC.
Mr Watteel said that "We don't work on site. Our work is done in a plant, which can be done in various places in the world. For, example the steel fabrication work for the Golden Ears Bridge was done in China. We hope this has not set a precedent for other major public works projects."
Four bidders are on the shortlist namely Burnaby based George Third & Son, Delta based Canron Western Constructors, Ontario based Walters Group and Quebec based Canam Group. The steel fabrication involves building component parts for the retractable roof and would employ about 150 shop fabricators and erectors with about two years of work.
Mr David Podmore chairman of the BC Pavilion Corporation said that the province will benefit from the construction. However, some of the larger components can't be produced locally. He added that "There is a substantial amount of this work that is committed to BC and a lot of jobs will be created. The installation of the roof will all be done with local labor. But, a certain amount of this work can’t be done in BC."
