By David MacDonald
david@peicanada.com

East Isle Shipyard employees and their families were treated to a bigger-than-usual Christmas bash last Sunday in Georgetown which makes them fearful it could be the last party if new work isn’t forthcoming.
The party took place at the Three River Sportsplex in Georgetown and was open to the more than 110 employees and their families. The event included a skating party, a photographer to take family portraits, catering by office staff, and a visit from Santa Claus in which all children under the age of 12 received gifts. Close to 270 people attended the party.
Officials from J D Irving in New Brunswick wouldn’t discuss the motive of the large party except to say it’s a long-standing tradition.
But Rose Crane, vice-president of International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers Local 1934 said the party was larger than in past years, although she wouldn’t discuss the cost.
"We’ve had a Christmas party in the past but he (general manager Stephen Coleman) wanted to ensure we had a really special one this time," Ms Crane said. "It could be the last one, but we don’t know."
Thirty-six employees have been laid off over the last several months, with the most recent layoff taking place on November 22. Eighty employees remain on site.
There are no new orders on the books for the shipyard, while employees are currently doing sea trials on one tug this week before it heads off to Quebec. A tug, the last one scheduled for East Isle Shipyard, is 50 per cent completed and layoffs will continue while stages of construction are completed.
"Come March, we’ll be down to the bare bones," Ms Crane said. "We’ll clean up the yard, put the padlock on the gate and hope for a new contract."
She said the Christmas party was a success but the overall mood among employees is "sobering." She said some of the employees still working have been cutting back on things like Christmas as they don’t know what the future will bring.
"It’s stressful," she said. "It’s the unknown. We don’t know if we’re in for a short-term or long-term layoff. The shipyard could be shut down for a year or more, so what do you do?"
J D Irving spokesperson Mary Keith said the company’s commitment is to pursue new work for the shipyard. She said the effort is continuing but until the company has a firm opportunity she was not able to go into further detail into those efforts.