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 Members of the Ekati labour bargaining team include, from left, John Washie, Ole Frantzen, Carol Wall, Curtis Hagen, Robert Beaulieu, Allan Kaltwasser and Gerry Balmer. While PSAC has succeeded in certifying the workers at BHP, they are now on a quest to unionize workers at Diavik Diamond Mine. - NNSL file photo |
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has stepped up its fight to have senior technicians included in the bargaining unit by publishing full-page ads in Yellowknifer and News/North.
The union says the technicians should be eligible to join PSAC.
"Based on BHP's own organizational charts, they show senior techs are not supervisors, nor do they have any employees reporting to them. It's clear they don't supervise.
"We believe they should be part of the bargaining unit rather than excluded," said PSAC organizer Don Dudar.
No one from BHP Billiton was available to comment by deadline.
Union organizer Steve Petersen said BHP Billiton has told the Canada Industrial Relations Board there are 25 technicians working at Ekati. Petersen said PSAC will act on its own numbers estimate when attempting to unionize the technicians.
The union is also taking "full credit along with the BHP employees who first challenged the company" over site allowances and overtime compensation, said Dudar.
In December, just prior to the commencement of collective bargaining, BHP notified employees of a "mistake" on the calculation for pensionable earnings, said Dudar.
"BHP has always said that site allowance is compensation for working in a remote workplace. The employees challenged the company's position and said site allowance is compensation for regularly scheduled overtime and overtime worked on statutory holidays," said Dudar.
BHP will now pay a portion of pensionable earnings retroactive over approximately five years for on-site allowance, said Dudar.
"The site allowance amounts to 15 per cent of annual salary," he said, "and will equate to millions of dollars in pensionable earnings."
Dudar said BHP has also made overtime compensation payments that dated back approximately three years.
"For some workers it amounted to several thousand dollars in back pay," he said.
Petersen added BHP has denied the bargaining group an office on the mine site.
Further, Peterson asserts the company is refusing to allow paid leave for workers participating in union activities, even though the union has offered to repay the company for this time.
In an access order provided by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, BHP was directed to provide the union organizers with an office, but both Petersen and Dudar maintain the company is still refusing to provide the office.
"We take the position that since we are now the official bargaining agent the board's decision has not changed. We have filed an unfair labour complaint and asked the employer to provide an office," said Dudar.
