May 4, 2006

$55,000 for Ekati mine workers from PSAC delegates in Toronto

Delegates at the PSAC National Triennial Convention in Toronto pledged in excess of $55,000 to help members of PSAC Local X3050 on strike against BHP Billiton at the Ekati diamond mine, 300 kilometers north-east of Yellowknife. This amount comes in addition to the $100,000.00 already pledged by the Union of Northern Workers for its hardship fund.

The pledges were announced after more than five hundred PSAC members and supporters took to Toronto streets in a demonstration in support of Ekati diamond mine workers. (Images of delegates rally for BHP strikers).

“In every struggle there is a light” said Ekati mine worker Robert Beaulieu. “In this case the light is the union,” he added.

Beaulieu, who made the trip from Yellowknife to address the Toronto demonstration, was clearly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from his sisters and brothers from the PSAC and the Canadian labour movement.

“I know that with your help, we will prevail,” he said. “We will get a first collective agreement and by doing so, we will send a strong message to all multinational companies doing business in Canada .”

For Todd Parsons, President of the Northern Workers Union, the time has come for BHP Billiton to recognize that collective bargaining is built on principles that are fundamental to democratic and moral societies.

“The workers are entitled to equity, fairness, respect and dignity,” Parsons said. “They earned those rights by virtue of the enormous contribution that they make to BHP Billiton's profits.”

Nycole Turmel, PSAC National President, denounced the practice of hiring scabs during a labour conflict like the one at the Ekati mine. “Our message to BHP Billiton is clear,” she said. “Hiring scabs to mine Canadian diamonds is not part of Canadian values.” Turmel also said that the Ekati struggle touches all PSAC members and beyond. She read a message from the Australian Council of Trade Unions. BHP Billiton is well known in Australia and around the world for its refusal to bargain in good faith. The ACTU believes the Ekati workers are fighting for justice for workers in Canada and around the world.