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News releaseApril 7, 2006 EKATI diamond mine on strike!Yellowknife – Workers at Canada 's first diamond mine are on strike Friday, April 7 after BHP Billiton refused to negotiate a fair first collective agreement, says the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the union representing 400 workers at the Ekati diamond mine. Jean-François Des Lauriers, Regional Executive Vice-President for PSAC-North, says workers are off the job early Friday, at the Ekati mine, which produces 6 per cent of the world's diamond supply by value. And Des Laurier warned BHP Billiton against the use of replacement workers, saying such tactics are unacceptable to northern Canadians. "BHP Billiton has refused to offer its diamond workers a fair first collective agreement and forced them to go on strike," said Des Lauriers. "If BHP Billiton adds insult to injury by using replacement workers to operate the mine, the Canadian labour movement will react strongly to denounce the employer's actions." BHP Billiton is a multinational corporation based in Australia with worldwide profits of $7.5 billion in 2005. Federally mediated talks in Edmonton failed Thursday, after the company offered a salary increase of one percent. It also offered a one-day floating holiday in exchange for members giving up 3 days of paid sick leave. However, the offer did not address key issues of layoffs by seniority, nor job security. Des Lauriers said the offer was an insult to workers. "BHP Billiton is showing contempt for the very workers who are making millions of dollars in profits for them," said Parsons. "Ekati workers are now saying ‘No deal, no diamonds' and we will not go back until there is a fair contract." Parsons said that he is confident that with the solidarity of the labour movement in Canada and around the world, the strike at the Ekati diamond mine will be successful and that workers will achieve reasonable working conditions and salaries. Ekati is Canada's first diamond mine and produces 6 per cent of the world's diamond supply by value or 4 per cent by weight and yields 3 to 5 million carats annually. It is located 300 km northeast of Yellowknife and 200 km south of the Arctic Circle. For more information: |