Strike looms at Gahcho Kue
Cooks, janitors primed for work stoppage over wages
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Friday, September 16, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Just days before the Gahcho Kue diamond mine is set to open, part of its workforce is ready to walk off the job.
Some workers at the Gahcho Kue mine are almost unanimously in favour of a strike if an agreement on wages cannot be reached. - NNSL file photo |
Some 60 workers, including camp cooks, sous chefs, janitors and camp attendants are ready to strike after negotiations between their union and the ESS Compass Group, the contractor who employs them, stalled.
"We took a straw poll of our members, seeing if they were willing to go out on strike, and we came back with 99 per cent in favour of strike action," said Tony Santavenere, vice-president of Teamsters Local 213, the union representing the workers. They've only been unionized for about six months, but have spent the last three in negotiations with ESS Compass Group. A mediator was brought in two weeks ago, but Santavenere said that failed to "get us closer together."
Under the previous company that held the contract, Santavenere says they were making around $25 an hour. After De Beers granted the contract to ESS Compass, those wages dropped to around $15 an hour.
"It's below industry standard for that service. They're only paying roughly about $2 over minimum wage for the Northwest Territories," said Santavenere, adding that at other similar sites, the lowest pay range is around $20 to $32 an hour.
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"We're looking for a health and welfare package, pension, and a fair, equitable wage compared to other camps in B.C. as well as Canada," said Santavenere.
Billed as the biggest new diamond mine in the world, Gahcho Kue is set to open officially on Tuesday with production ramping up since August. According to De Beers Canada, the mine is expected to pump around $5.7 billion into the territorial economy over its lifetime.
In an interview with Yellowknifer earlier this month, De Beers CEO Kim Truter said Gahcho Kue would employ around 1,400 people annually over its life, and boost the Canadian economy by close to $7 billion. According to De Beers, Gahcho Kue supported 2,000 jobs in 2015 - about 10 per cent of the NWT's extraction industry employment.
So far, negotiations have stalled. Santavenere said ESS Compass Group, who could not be reached for comment, has offered a three-per-cent raise in the first year, and a two-per-cent raise for the second and third year. But he said that's not enough to keep them at their jobs. He said that percentage increase works out to "roughly about a dollar an hour increase over three years to what they're making now."
Santavenere said about 60 per cent of the workers affected are aboriginal.
"I think it's really important that people understand that when we have our operations located in First Nations land, that we have a really good engagement model with local communities. We work very closely with them," said Truter, speaking earlier this month after De Beers released a statement on their contribution to the economy.
Santavenere agreed with this sentiment, in theory.
"They do have the aboriginal involvement, it just seems like they don't want to pay the culinary workers in the camp the proper wages," he said.
Santavenere said union members are debating if it would be a rotating or a full work stoppage.
"We're going to see if we can get ESS Compass back to the table and see if we can get a fair agreement," said Santavenere.
If that isn't possible, the union would make an application to the federal labour board, and could be out on strike in November.
"There would be nobody servicing the camp. There wouldn't be anybody able to work, eat, sleep, have clean towels," he said. "The impact would be that, well, hopefully the mine would shut down until these people get a fair, equitable wage and benefits like they deserve."
De Beers Canada declined to comment on the issue.
"Out of respect for that process, it would be inappropriate for us to comment as this is a matter between ESS and their employees," stated Tom Ormsby, head of corporate affairs for De Beers Canada in a news release. "The mine continues to ramp up to full production as scheduled and we look forward to the official opening celebration with all our employees, business partners and community partners next week."
