Andrea Markey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 24/05) - More than 90 NWT Finning Canada employees joined others from Alberta and went on strike Thursday after almost six months without a collective agreement.

More than 90 Finning Canada employees in the NWT are on strike, effective Oct. 20 at noon. That includes about 80 mechanics, electricians and parts people at Ekati diamond mine and 11 at the Finning Caterpillar dealership in Hay River. Striking worker Warren Gibb of Hay River looks grim as he sits on the picket line. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

The main issue for the approximately 1,070 striking workers is Finning's desire to maintain its right to use contractors rather than employees.

"The union wants stronger wording to minimize contracting out, but Finning doesn't want to do that," said Alex Pinto, steward of the Hay River branch 38 of the Local 99 chapter of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

"Finning has mentioned in the media on every quarter that they have had a record quarter - for the past few years," he said.

He can't understand why a company that's doing so well wouldn't want to hold on to its quality employees.

"I don't know, there is something wrong there," he said.

Pinto has been with the Caterpillar dealer for more than eight years, but he said some employees have been with the company more than 15 years.

"Finning is a good company to work with but in recent years their contracting out has been very detrimental to employee moral," he said.

Six of the 11 striking employees in Hay River work at the Caterpillar dealership that sells equipment and parts while also handling repairs.

The other five work in rotation at the Ekati mine.

There are approximately 80 Finning employees at Ekati. All are off the job except four workers who run the mine's power plant, which has been deemed an essential service by the federal government.

Managers and salaried employees were flown to Ekati on Thursday to replace the striking workers.

Striking workers in Yellowknife speculated mining operations would be slowed by a shortage of manpower.

A Finning spokesperson agreed the replacements are working at a lower level, saying the company is working with BHP Billiton to address priority service areas due to being short-staffed.

Without the freedom to contract out jobs, Joanne Miller, manager of corporate communications with Finning Canada, said the company would not be able to stay competitive in a growing market.

"Since it started in 1933, Finning has had a long history of contracting out," she said. "We entirely intend to reserve that right."

The company offered the union a contract, that has since been rejected, that would have given employees a 15 per cent increase over three years, including wages and benefits.

"Monetary issues are secondary," said Jason Rockwell, an organizer with the union in Calgary. "Job security is the number one issue."

After two weeks off the job, strike pay is $25 per day or $125 per week.