Update
The union at Mount Polley Mine is turning Wednesday morning’s three-hour lockout into a strike.
United Steelworkers Local 1-2017 business agent Dan Wil is en route to the mine access road at the Likely Road junction where it is expected picket lines will be set up.
“They locked us out to enforce their last offer on us,” Wil told the Tribune. “They invited people back to work and we’ve simply turned it into strike so there’s a labour dispute going on.”
Wil said the lockout was unnecessary.
“We suggested to the employer that we were available to meet next week, they didn’t think there was a need to, and they made the action to lock us out,” he added. “Now we have a labour dispute and it’s unfortunate.”
Original story
An early morning lockout of the United Steelworkers Local 1-2017 by Mount Polley Mining Corporation was intended to speed up collective bargaining, said the mine’s general manager Dale Reimer Wednesday.
Starting at around 3 a.m. Wednesday, May 23 the mine held the lockout for about three hours.
“Our labour agreement with the union expired on Dec. 31, 2017. That’s the reason for the lockout,” Reimer said. “We’ve invited them back but I think — although we haven’t received any official notice — it might be that they are going on strike.”
The mine is still running as Reimer said the mine can “handle” it with staff.
On Wednesday morning, the Tribune was told by the union office that Dan Wil, the union’s business agent, is en route to Williams Lake from Prince George.
In January the mine began staged layoffs which in 2018 will impact 78 jobs.
Read More: Staged layoffs at Mount Polley in 2018 will impact 78 jobs
More to come
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