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News releaseJune 15, 2006 Striking Ekati diamond mine workers to leaflet jewel stores Diamond customers asked to boycott dirty diamonds produced by BHP BillitonOTTAWA – On Saturday, June 17, diamond customers in several Canadian cities will be invited to join the boycott campaign launched by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) against Ekati to win a fair first contract. Striking Ekati diamond mine workers and supporters will visit authorized dealers of Aurias and CanadaMark diamonds to ask customers not to buy diamonds produced at the Ekati mine by strikebreakers behind picket lines. The “Dirty Diamonds” campaign is part of an operation waged by the PSAC to force BHP Billiton, the owner of the Ekati mine, to negotiate a first collective agreement with its some 400 workers. It started on June 13 with ads in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and will continue with consumer boycott pressure and a cross-Canada tour by Ekati diamond workers to inform the public of BHP Billiton’s deplorable attitude. Finally, union members from all over the world are invited to participate in an e-mail campaign on the www.labourstart.org website. “We are going to show BHP Billiton that its conduct is being condemned by unions and the public,” stated PSAC President John Gordon. “The company’s attitude toward these workers who enable it to gain enormous profits is unacceptable. By refusing to negotiate in good faith and by going back on its word given at the bargaining table, BHP Billiton wants to break the union. We must boycott the tainted diamonds produced by strikebreakers in order to send the company a clear message.” Workers at the Ekati mine have been on strike since April 7. They rejected a settlement offered by the company last week, which contained provisions that violate the Canada Labour Code. The Ekati mine is located 300 km north-east of Yellowknife and belongs to BHP Billiton, an Australian multinational. PSAC members work as truckers, welders, crane operators and electricians, among other jobs. They also work at the processing plant and handle other mining occupations. Demonstrators, some of whom will be wearing their wedding attires, will be passing out pamphlets between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, in front of jewelry stores that sell Aurias and CanadaMark diamonds in a dozen of Canadian cities, including Yellowknife, Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and St. John’s. Information:
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