Ekati workers ratify agreement
After over two years of bargaining, over 500 unionized workers have a new deal
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Friday, March 31, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
After more than 30 months of negotiation and four weeks of voting, workers at Ekati diamond mine ratified a new collective agreement with Dominion Diamond Corporation.
After a month of voting, members of the union and Dominion Diamond have both ratified the new collective agreement at the Ekati diamond mine. - NNSL file photo
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The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) North reached the tentative deal in February, which covers more than 500 workers in the Union of Northern Workers Local 3050. The Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation board of directors has also ratified the agreement.
"It was ratified and everybody's at ease again. The employers not concerned about labour disruption and the members are not concerned about whether or not they face lockout in the future," said Jack Bourassa, PSAC North regional executive vice president. "They can actually plan something with a future knowing they can count on something happening."
The agreement includes a pay bump of 5.5 per cent over five years, backdated to 2015, and maintains vacation, severance and sick leave from the previous contract.
According to Bourassa, employees will see a 2 per cent increase effective June 1 2015, a 1.5 per cent increase on June 1 of this year, and another 2 per cent increase in 2018.
The four-year collective agreement is backdated, and so will expire on May 31, 2019, when the parties will be back at the bargaining table again.
While it passed with a majority vote, Bourassa said some members still wished the deal was different. "The feeling I think is the employer could have done more," he said. "Some of their cost cutting measures weren't necessarily appreciated, given the type of business that we're talking about here and the revenues we know that they generate. But we've got something that we believe we can live with at this time so both parties are happy I believe."
Gayla Thunstrom, Union of Northern Workers first vice president added that overall, the membership appreciate the deal.
"I think the majority of the membership kind of realize that this is the best that the company was going to put forward at this time, and they're probably very happy to have some stability for the next couple of years," she said.
Ratifying the new agreement also means the union members will be able to sleep soundly, regardless of what happens with the ownership of Dominion. The company fended off what they called an "unsolicited" and "highly opportunistic" proposal from The Washington Corporation earlier this month to purchase all the outstanding common shares of Dominion. On Monday Dominion released a news release declaring the creation of a special committee to explore, review and evaluate alternatives-- and opening the doors to a possible change of management, should the board of directors get an offer they feel would maximize shareholder value.
"If the company was to sell, successor rights would take over, business as usual for the union," said Thunstrom. "It just would mean that when we go to negotiate the next contract... we'd be dealing with a new company."
