Yellowknife (Jan 05/05) - Workers at Diavik Diamond Mine can expect a spring visit from union organizers.

Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) organizers say they plan to travel to Diavik in March or April, after gaining permission to do so from Canada Industrial Relations Board last summer.

Last February, workers at the BHP Billiton's Ekati Mine voted to join PSAC and officially became members in June 2004. Now, union organizers feel they have a chance to unionize all the diamond mines operating in the NWT.

Don Dudar, a regional PSAC organizer, said plans also include taking the pitch to De Beers Canada's Snap Lake Mine, as well as several hundred non-union employees at Ekati working through Kete Whii Ltd./Procon, Nunalogistics and Sodexho.

An eventual contract between Ekati and its 500 unionized workers will be used as an example of the benefits a union can bring to Diavik workers, said Dudar.

"We will be able to show them this is what's in a collective agreement and they'll be able to enforce it along with the union," he said.

Dudar said PSAC has fielded a number of calls from Diavik employees hoping to join a union.

Union organizer Steve Petersen added that close to 400 workers at Diavik are eligible to join the union.

A union certification vote will be held if PSAC organizers can get 35 per cent of Diavik's workers to sign up. Certification will be automatic if the union is successful in signing 51 per cent of workers.

"We will go in and answer questions and explain the benefits ... and see if they want to participate," said Petersen.

The union is facing difficulties getting in touch with Diavik workers because many of them do not live in the Northwest Territories.

"If these workers were in town, we could go to their houses. It's a unique challenge with the remote situation and organizers.

"Managers at the mine are concerned we'd be running amok on site. When they're off work and in town we should have access to them. We have to get as much coverage as possible," said Petersen.

Tom Hoefer, manager of external relations with Diavik, confirmed PSAC has requested access to its diamond mine site.

"We've agreed to them visiting and what we're doing is working out the details of when that will occur," he said.