Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 22/00) - The hunger strike is over. At least for now.

A day after delivering a powerful speech to several Yellowknife MLAs at an open meeting at the legislature, Mary Kosta began eating food again.

Kosta began the strike Feb. 29 to raise awareness of issues facing Giant mine workers, such as the fact no severance has been paid to about 250 workers laid off at the bankrupt Giant mine last October.

As well, starting April 1, retired mine workers face a 25 per cent cut to their pensions.

Reached at her home Tuesday afternoon, Kosta revealed it wasn't easy to end her fast.

"I got a lot of pressure from my family and the pensioners to go off the fast. I didn't want to," Kosta said.

"I'm prepared to go back on this fast if there's no action in the next two weeks, because in the next two weeks, that's when the pensioners lose their pensions," Kosta, whose husband was laid off from Giant mine in October, said.

"After the meeting I thought the response from the MLAs was really, really great, and that gave me a lot of hope. And in fact, they've drafted a motion today that they're going to be putting forward tomorrow (Wednesday) in the legislative assembly."

The resolution stems from a request Kosta made to many Yellowknife MLAs Monday evening.

"I'd like the motion to say that the legislative assembly of the Northwest Territories, on compassionate grounds, begs the federal government to provide immediate relief to the old people," Kosta told MLAs Monday, "and compensation for the mineworkers who were laid off without legal notice and with nothing, after 23 years in the dark and the mud and the cold, 2,000 feet underground, building this community.

"They should be treated better than this," Kosta said. "I'm begging you to do something to help us. I'm really begging you."

Kosta told the MLAs, "I'm starting to feel really angry."

She said, "About six months ago I was here and ever since then, things have gotten worse."

Kosta said, "Six months ago my daughters told you we didn't want to leave, and we have to now."

In response to Kosta's plea, Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent expressed sympathy.

"We are sympathetic to what you ask for," Dent said. "Most of us have taken action in one way, shape or form."

Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee said the miners deserved support.

"We have to help these people because that's what the government is supposed to do," Lee said. "It's really about compassion."

Meanwhile, a petition bearing more than 1,700 names in support of Giant miners reached the office of NDP labour critic Pat Martin Monday.

An official in Martin's office said that it would likely be Friday at the earliest before Martin could table the petition in the House of Commons.

The petition was sent last week by the Citizens' Support Group.

On a related note, a Giant miner laid off in October is no longer in danger of losing his trailer and truck. Dan Noel, who had received a foreclosure notice after falling behind on his payments, said on Monday he had reached a deal last week with his bank to work out a payment plan.