Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 06/00) - United Steelworkers union organizers cut short their first visit to the BHP Ekati mine, says organizer Gilles Deslauriers.

"We had so many problems," he said.

In an attempt to talk to workers about unionizing, Deslauriers, along with fellow union organizer Richard Boyce, recently went to the mine site for the first of two two-week visits.

But things started going downhill when, alleges Deslauriers, a BHP employee spit on a union pamphlet then handed it back to the union.

"From this point, it was difficult to operate," he said.

He also expressed concern about confidentiality of meetings between union organizers and Ekati employees. Extremely high levels of security at the diamond mine made it difficult to meet with workers without the company's knowledge, he said.

"Under the Canadian Labour Code, we are supposed to be able to meet with employees without the company's knowledge."

Deslauriers and Boyce left the mine after 11 days.

"The union drive is still alive," adds Deslauriers. After returning to Yellowknife, he said organizers were able to meet with some Ekati employees in the city.

Deslauriers said the union will be discussing what, if any, action it will take on the alleged spitting incident.

On the second Canada Industrial Relations Board-sanctioned two-week visit, Deslauriers said the union still plans to go back to Ekati but it is not clear when.

The union continues to have two complaints outstanding, which involve allegations of worker intimidation and discussing union matters while on the job. Three other complaints, one filed with the board by the union, and two by the company, were withdrawn, Deslauriers said.

"As far as we're concerned, they (union organizers) voluntary left" before the two-week visit ended, BHP spokesperson Graham Nicholls said.

"We feel we have a very competitive package. We have a low turnover rate. That indicates a competitive overall salary and benefits package," he said.

Nicholls said the annual employee turnover rate at Ekati is about eight per cent. That includes summer part-time workers, so for the permanent staff the turnover would actually be less than eight per cent, he adds.

For those who have left, the reason is often the two-week rotation, Nicholls said, adding, "We see no real difference between aboriginal and non-aboriginal turnover."

BHP owns 51 per cent of the Ekati diamond mine which is located about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife.