Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 03/99) - Canadian Autoworkers Local 2304 President Marc Danis claims Miramar Mining Corp. is the mystery buyer of Giant mine.

"Our information indicates...PricewaterhouseCoopers are to terminate all (Giant mine) employees, hourly and staff," Danis told a packed union hall at a press conference last night.

Reading from a statement, Danis said, "We believe the deal is structured to avoid paying employees at Giant mine what monies they are owed in order to evade the issue of 'successorship.'"

Currently, there are 200 unionized (hourly) workers and 80 to 100 non-union staff at Giant.

Danis said that according to their information, Miramar will not be responsible for any current arsenic problem, however will continue to mine ore reserves at Giant and process ore at its Con mine.

After a massive layoff, he said, Miramar would then hire back whatever Giant workers would be needed.

At best that could only be third of Giant's existing staff, he estimated. He adds about half the local's members work in the mill and if the mill is shut down all those jobs will be gone for sure.

Calling this a "backdoor deal," Danis, who said the interim receiver PwC has not kept workers at the mine informed of any of their negotiations, refused to name the source behind their claim.

"If we're wrong, let PricewaterhouseCoopers tell us we're wrong," Danis said.

"It's not just about the money, we're concerned for the whole community."

For every job loss at Giant, there are five or six other jobs affected, NWT Labour Federation vice-president Wayne Campbell said.

"We're looking at 300 people with wives who in a lot of cases have government jobs. People that will be leaving this community because they won't be able to afford to live here anymore."

GNWT Resources Minister Joe Handley said last night: "I believe the receiver received five proposals" to buy Giant.

"I was told today (Thursday) by DIAND that the receiver would be making an announcement within days," he said. But, he adds, from the GNWT's position, there currently is not a deal in place to buy Giant.

Miramar spokesperson Brian Labadie could not be reached for comment last night. PwC has not returned Yellowknifer calls.

Yellowknife Mayor David Lovell, who attended Thursday's meeting at the union hall, said it will be "important to try and preserve the jobs."