Fish harvester won't apologize for comments to FFAW staff, says he was provoked

A fish harvester on the Burin Peninsula sayshe should not have told a Fish Food and Allied Workers representative thathe would "knock his head off" at a meeting in Fortune this week, but doesn't consider the comment a threat.

Wayne Meadetold CBC News that he isthe man the FFAW has complained about, but said his remarks should not be taken literally.

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"You tell afellayou're going to knock his head off and shit down his neck, that's a figure of speech," saidMeade. "If I wanted to knock his head off I'd have no trouble doing it. I don't know about shitting down his neck."

While he admitted to regrets "I knows I done wrong ...I probably shouldn't have said some of the stuff Isaid," he's not about to say 'sorry.'

"I'm not going to apologize to theFFAW," saidMeadeon Thursday. "There's not enough money in Newfoundland to make me apologize to the FFAW."

Felt 'provoked' after years of frustration

Meadetold CBC that he was goaded by comments from anFFAWrepresentative who said hewanted fish quotas all to himself.

"That makes me feel like I'm provoked," saidMeade. "They're provoking you to say things."

Meadeis a supporter ofFISH-NLwhichis currently on a card signing campaign to take over representation of fish harvesters from theFFAW.

He said that he attended the Fortune meeting as a member of theFFAWto get answers to questions he's been asking for a long time.

"I'm fighting for the rights of Newfoundlanders and I have been for the last 20 years trying to get things on the move because everyday they're taking something from us and changing regulations," saidMeade.

"We lost all our scallop grounds. I had alicence for 25 years to fish the southern part of the bank and the middle part of the St. Pierre bank and they took ourlicencesaway overnight," saidMeade. "And the union signed off on it."

He said fish harvesters asked theFFAWto organize demonstrations at Confederation Buildingbut the union refused.

"It is time for change," saidMeade. "It's long gone past. Should have been 15 years ago as far as I'm concered."

TheRCMPconfirmed it is investigating a complaint made by theFFAWregarding threats, but hasn't laid any charges.

FISH-NLVice President RichardGilletttold CBC News that he wants supporters of the breakaway union to be civil and called for people to make their voices heard by signing union cards.