BHP workers turn backs on federation
Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Dec 22/00) - An employee association being formed at the BHP diamond mine does not want to be associated with the Northern Territories Federation of Labour.
"We don't want to be affiliated with them at all," said Gerry Oliver, spokesperson for the BHP Employees Association.
The federation believes the BHP employees' association may think it will in future be able to link up with a trade union.
"We don't have a clue where they got that from," Oliver said.
The association cannot be affiliated with either the Canadian Labour Congress or the Northern Territories Federation of Labour, according to a statement from the federation.
The federation also said the association will have no training, education or support from the CLC or the Federation of Labour.
Earlier this year, employees at the Ekati mine applied to the Canada Industrial Relations Board for association certification.
"We're just waiting (for a response). All our papers are in Ottawa," Oliver said.
"The reason why we started this association, we're happy with the pay and benefits," Oliver, a maintenance service technician, said.
"We make our own decisions, we bargain for ourselves."
About two-thirds of the mine's non-management staff have agreed to join the association, Oliver said.
The United Steelworkers of America representatives visited the mine site, but their attempt to unionize the mine was unsuccessful.
