Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Bill Bradley
Mining layoffs are escalating in Greater Sudbury, according to Jim Kmit, area supervisor United Steelworkers northeastern Ontario.
Kmit is now in negotiations with FNX over the company's plan to lay off 248 members of the Local 2020 Steelworkers union.
In addition, FNX has laid off 59 staff members, said Kmit. That amounts to half its workforce, he noted glumly. FNX operates the Levack, Podolsky and McCreedy West mines in the Sudbury area.
“Right now (Thursday morning), we in the union are going through the layoff list to ensure the right people are being laid off. Seniority and qualifications are what we are trying to protect,” said Kmit.
On Friday at 9 a.m. Kmit and union officials will sit down with FNX management.
“I hope we can negotiate a severance package with them. The workers get 12 weeks termination pay because they were given no notice, but we want something more.”
Kmit expected a worse outcome.
“Luckily FNX mines copper and precious metals as well as nickel, so that is keeping the other half of their workforce going,” he said.
Other layoffs in his union membership are now rippling through the community, said Kmit.
“In the last week alone we have Bristol Machine Works cutting 10 jobs, Northern Iron and Metals axing 15 workers, plus First Nickel laid off 30 of his union members. In addition, Vale Inco has cut 40 jobs at their office and technical operations and Xstrata has laid off 35 in their office and technical section as well."
Kmit said he had heard “through the grapevine” that 500 contractors were laid off at Vale Inco operations.
“Xstrata has done the same, laying off a substantial number of contractors. Somebody had better do something fast. This is two weeks before Christmas. We are looking at 1,000 jobs gone in little more than a week,” he said.
Kmit said the federal government was not doing anything.
“Prime Minister (Stephen) Harper is more concerned about losing his job than the jobs of working people. That is why he cancelled parliament. His economic statement had nothing for northern Ontario workers.”
The local economy will be hard hit by these layoffs, said Kmit.
“These are all high paying jobs, $20 an hour plus. Worse, what happens when people see these layoffs? They will ask if they will be next, especially if their spouse is laid off. What will that do for retail sales or the food and beverage industry here? They will have to cut their staff too,” he said.
The layoff picture is bleak for Steelworkers across North America, said Kmit.
“I talked to Leo Gerrard, our international Steelworkers president. Two weeks ago 75,000 Steelworkers had lost their jobs across Canada and the U.S. What is the tally now?”
Kmit said he had not yet talked to local federal MPs about the layoffs.
“Believe me, I have had work up to my elbows dealing with layoffs to talk to them,” he said.
Both Nickel Belt MP Claude Gravelle and Sudbury MP Glenn Thibeault issued a release Wednesday calling for the federal Conservatives to begin an immediate stimulus package.
Prior to the prorogation of the House of Commons, Gravelle introduced a private members bill to eliminate the two week waiting period for laid-off workers to apply for Employment Insurance.
“Working families in northern Ontario cannot wait two weeks in order to receive E.I. benefits. It's clear that, if we are going to get through this economic crisis, we need reforms to E.I. now,” said Gravelle in a release.
