Brian Lee Crowley and Tom Adams resort to their typical rhetoric, speculating that the public protests against the sale of NB Power to Hydro-Quebec have been orchestrated by unions, supposedly concerned by productivity comparisons. ("Get past the bombast," Dec. 5)

Just to set the record straight, the public opposition that's grown around this proposed sale has much more to do with the secrecy with which the deal was brokered and the emergence of credible voices such as the provincial Auditor General and others who on an almost daily basis are finding problems with the proposed deal.

My union, representing the workers at NB Power, studied the proposal carefully and listened to our members before opposing the deal for two main reasons. As citizens and ratepayers, there is an inequitable treatment of rate classes and too much uncertainty surrounding electricity prices after the first five years of this deal.  And as workers, there are too many unanswered questions on the labour relations aspect of this deal.

For the record, we will gladly compare our productivity and our commitment to excellence in the quality of service we provide to that of any other workforce, anywhere.

ROSS GALBRAITH

Business Manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Fredericton