Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 17/99) - The Canadian Autoworkers union hall overflowed with worried Giant Mine workers desperate for a bit of hope, Tuesday.

The meeting was called to update Local 2304 members on the plan to prepare a package that will sway the receivers away from a Miramar Mining Corp. deal to buy the mine. If the Miramar deal goes through, they will lose their jobs.

"If the mine shuts down right now, I don't get my pension," says Guy Amyotte, a mine mechanic who is two months away from his 30th anniversary at Giant.

After raising two kids in Yellowknife, the 59-year-old doesn't think he'll be able to weather a Giant shutdown.

"This is the worst yet. I think (Miramar) is worse than ... (former Royal Oak owner Peggy Witte). At least she bought us and respected our union contract," Amyotte says.

"Selling my house is going to be the worst. There's no market right now -- it's a losing battle. If I lose my job then it's back to Quebec for me. What else can I do?"

When asked about the union's efforts to save jobs, Amyotte just shrugs.

"We've got to do something and they're the best we've got," he says. Crammed into the back of the union hall, the wife of scoop operator Marcel Bouchard strains to hear the union president's message. Not being successful, she goes outside for some fresh air.

"I'm at this meeting because I want to support the union. It's the union that has put food on my family's table," she said.

Marcel Bouchard, an 11-year Giant employee, joins his wife outside the hall. Together, they've raised two kids here. They have no intention of leaving.

"We moved away during the Giant strike and it disrupted our daughter's education. We're not going to put our son through that," Bouchard said.

The worst is here

"We knew there was problems brewing so we sold our home and paid off our bills. It looks like the worst is here, but we're going to stay in Yellowknife."

When asked about the union's plan to patch together a proposal with a community working group, Bouchard looks back into the hall.

"I really hope they can put together something," he says quietly.

Peter Careen is a 23-year-old crusher helper at Giant. The former Colomac mine employee has only been at Giant for 18 months. When he got the job, he bought a house in town because he thought he'd be here for the long haul.

"I came over from Colomac and to me, it was a miniature dream come true. I hadn't heard all the rumours about the mine yet because I was so new," Careen said.

Careen is young, so he's not sweating the future. It's the long-time employees he's worried about.

"I feel sorry for the old guys who have been here 15 or 20 years. They built a life in the NWT and it's sad somebody can come along and crush it in a few transactions," Careen says.

When asked if the "old guys" will just roll over, Careen laughs.

"The union boys spent more than a year on the picket line in 1992 so they're a hearty bunch. If there's a way to keep working, they'll find it," he says.

Mary Kosta is the wife of a trammer at Giant who has worked there for 23 years.

"We have two children who were born in Yellowknife. I lost my government job four years ago, and haven't been able to find work here since. We've been depending on Bob's job to support all four of us, but now I don't know how we will survive here because it costs so much. We never expected Bob to lose his job and not get severance pay, so we don't have enough money set aside even to get through the next month. We are going to lose our house and all our savings and I'm terrified."

Local 2304 has formed a coalition of territorial, federal, municipal and first nation's officials to attempt to find a solution to the crisis. The Giant Mine Action Committee has been given until Sept. 22 to present an alternative bid to the receiver.

The local is also circulating a petition to all Yellowknifers seeking their support.