Posted by Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Bill Bradley
Emotions ran high Tuesday night at a jam packed event about the recent Xstrata layoffs organized by local federal and provincial NDP politicians.
It was standing room only at the Quality Inn where 350 people
listened to bombastic speeches by everyone from NDP Leader Jack
Layton to Mayor John Rodriguez to Dwight Harper, president of
Mine Mill Local 598/CAW workers. The audience flowed out into
the lobby.
Both Xstrata Nickel and the Conservative government of Stephen Harper were roundly condemned for not living up to a three year no layoff agreement signed by both when Falconbridge was taken over by Swiss mining giant in 2006.
"We should not have to have meetings like this tonight. Our governments should be standing up for the people of the north," said Layton.
Layton accused the government of secrecy in their agreements with both Xstrata and Vale Inco. Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle said he and Sudbury MP Glenn Thibeault took the issue to their caucus, then raised it in the House of Commons.
"Every day either Glenn, myself, Jack Layton, or other colleagues, stood up in the House for this issue," said Gravelle.
Even the prime minister had to face the music about the
agreement, said Gravelle.
"In Question Period, Jack was demanding from Stephen Harper why
his government was not enforcing their own agreement."
Nickel Belt MPP France Gelinas derided the provincial government for not helping Xstrata with its high energy costs, amongst the highest in Ontario.
Mayor Rodriguez said Sudbury MP Glenn Thibeault and Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle were keeping the government's feet to the fire.
"It is their job to hold the government accountable and demand change as to how corporations do business in this country. The unions here contribute to the life of the community," said Rodriguez.
"I don't have to tell anyone the millions of dollars raised by the unions for the good of this community for the United Way and other funds. Every time we ask, they step up to the plate. I do not want to lose any of the 686 laid off workers."
Devin Mayer, a laid off mechanic who had been working for Xstrata since June 2008, said he left a good job of 15 years to work for the company.
"Now I am out of work. There is not much out there right now. I am married with two kids at home. My wife works, thank heavens," said Mayer.
"I went to Xstrata to get a better job. Now this happened. I was looking forward to retiring at Xstrata. I watched my dad, who worked for Inco, retire from there. My whole family was in the mining field. They all gave their lives to mining. Now I don't know where I stand myself," he said sadly.
Derik McArthur, president of the retail and wholesales department workers, said his 6,000 members may be at risk themselves.
"Many of our members work in stores that depended on the spending of Xstrata workers. We depend on them. What if many leave town?" he asked.
John Fera, Steelworkers Local 6500 president, told the crowd about how Steelworkers organized themselves in 2006 to protest the possible foreign takeover of Inco.
"We sent our union members to Ottawa, and we, with the help of the NDP, went to every office we could in Parliament. We were there for a week talking to them. We were told we had nothing to fear from foreign takeovers. Maybe you should organize yourselves to go there again and look them straight in the eye and ask them why they sold us out," said Fera.
He told Layton to send a fax to the other federal political leaders.
"You had better let them know there is a crisis here in Sudbury. Tonight is not about the colour of our (union) badge. It is about the future of our families," said Fera.
Labour leader John Closs said he was thrilled with the turnout.
"I think it is a tremendous turnout. It shows the concern in the community. The community really has to pull together to make a difference after the layoffs, just like we have done in the past. I think we can do it again," said John Closs, president of the Sudbury and District Labour Council
Harper and laid off worker Roy Furlani asked those present to make sure they were on the buses leaving Friday morning to protest outside of Industry Minister Tony Clement's office in Huntsville.
"We have been put down too long. We are going to take this fight out of this city to the government," said Harper.
"This is the second time I was laid off at Xstrata. I don't want anyone else to go through what i went through," said Furlani, addressing the crowd "Make sure you are on that bus."
