Yellowknife (Jan 12/05) - The Dene Nation is concerned Northern companies aren't respecting the cultural needs of aboriginal workers.

On many occasions Dene workers have been forced to give up a job to take part in the spring hunt or attend a family member's funeral, said Dene Nation National Chief Noeline Villebrun.

"In our culture family extends to uncles, aunts and cousins. Dene people attend these funerals," she said.

Many collective agreements only allow for workers to attend services for direct family members, such as a parent.

After hearing such complaints, the Dene Nation has a new plan to find out exactly what's going on in the labour market.

Funded jointly by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Union of Northern Workers, companies will be scrutinized between now and this spring for hiring practises and sensitivity to Dene culture as part of a new research project being conducted by the Dene Nation.

Announced Friday in Yellowknife, the project should be completed by May or June, said PSAC regional vice-president Jean Francois Des Lauriers. He said the results will prove invaluable when it comes time to deal with employers.

During the news conference, Des Lauriers said there has been a long-standing lack of trust between the Dene and unions, which grew out of hiring practises during the building of the oil pipeline between Norman Wells and Zama, Alta., in the 1980s.

Villebrun also questioned mining companies' hiring practises, pointing specifically to BHP Billiton's Ekati Mine. She suggested the company had not met its hiring quota for aboriginal and Northern workers.

Denise Burlingame, senior external affairs specialist with Ekati, said she believes that BHP Billiton's Ekati Mine works very hard to maintain its hiring agreements.

Ironically, just as skepticism was being raised about the NWT diamond mines' respect for culture, Diavik Diamond Mine received national recognition for its work with Northern aboriginal communities.

Nearly 40 per cent of Diavik's workforce, some 270 people, are aboriginal.

As well, roughly one-third of its spending last year, or $60 million, was with Northern aboriginal firms. These factors helped earn it the gold level of achievement under the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business's Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program.

"Your company is setting an example of community consultation and participation that is a model for all companies," Albert Diamond, chairman of the PAR Program jury said.