Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 15/00) - A petition bearing hundreds of signatures from people concerned about the plight of Giant miners is to be tabled in the House of Commons sometime this week.

A community group started the petition Friday. At issue is the fact no severance has been given to 250 workers who were laid off from the bankrupt mine in October.

As well, retired Giant workers in the hourly pension plan are bracing for a 25 per cent reduction to their pensions, effective April 1.

Spearheading the petition blitz throughout town over the weekend was Mary Kosta, the wife of a laid off Giant miner who has been on a hunger strike since April 1.

"I hope we change the laws in Canada so this doesn't happen again," Kosta said.

"There's the pension law and the bankruptcy law we want to change, so that workers don't get laid off without severance pay, they're not last creditors in the event of a bankruptcy, and so no one can have their pensions cut," Kosta said.

"I hope the Government of Canada will respond favourably so I can end this fasting."

A Giant mine pensioner, Jim Wylie, went on a hunger strike Friday to support Kosta.

"A company does not have to keep up the fund that you bargained for in a contract, and I just feel that's totally unfair and unjust," Wylie said.

"This could happen to anyone's retirement fund."

Wylie had to stop the fast after Friday due to health concerns. On Monday Don McNenly began fasting with Kosta.

The petition, which as of Monday afternoon had 1,493 signatures, will be introduced into the House of Commons by NDP labour critic Pat Martin.

"I've been following the issue closely with the union and the family members involved in the hunger strike," Martin said Friday.

"The whole recent history of Giant mine has been such a legacy of tragedy. The whole country is interested in this final adding insult to injury issue with the pensioners."

MPs are only allowed about 30 seconds to introduce a petition, but Martin hoped to make an additional statement.

"If I can I'd like to make a statement in the House of Commons at the same time, to explain the federal government's role in this, and how the federal government now has an obligation to try and correct their intervention regarding the Miramar purchase."

Martin referred to the involvement of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND), which brokered the sale of Giant mine to Miramar last December. The previous owner of the mine, Royal Oak Mines, went into receivership in April.

"On the face of it, it certainly seems like they negotiated away some of what the workers would have had coming to them, or some of the obligations that the new owner would have had in terms of pension obligation," Martin said.

"I don't see how the federal government has any right to butt their nose into that sort of labour relations side of any kind of a business arrangement."

Martin was not sure when he would be able to introduce the petition.

"The House is going to go all to hell because we're voting for, like, 72 hours straight, both day and night around the clock, on this Clarity Bill.

"The Bloc Quebecois has put in 418 amendments to that Clarity Bill and they're forcing us into a standing vote for each one. The House will be completely disrupted," Martin said.

"All the House's attention is going to be dealing with this political mischief. Important issues around the country are going to be pushed aside."