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July 25, 2018
SUSSEX—A long and bitter miners’ strike in Ontario is settled, but questions still remain about the role of Laura Araneda’s company in prolonging the labour dispute, says Unifor.
“Laura Araneda made a tidy profit helping an American mining giant fight a small Ontario community, but she’s never been held to account,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “It’s never been disclosed how lucrative her scab contract was.”
Araneda’s company Vic Drilling flew replacement workers from the Sussex area to Ontario to cross the picket line for weeks until the Goderich-area miners barricaded the picket line, preventing Araneda’s workers from crossing.
“New Brunswickers would be outraged, and rightfully so, if the tables were turned. When workers are fighting for good local jobs, you don’t side with the mining giant," said Lana Payne, Unifor Atlantic Regional Director. “Just how much money did Laura Araneda make off the backs of the struggling families in Goderich?”
The strike began April 27, when workers rejected a company proposal that included mandatory overtime, 16-hour shifts, and 72-hour work weeks. The employer only returned to the table after the barricade was erected.
For more information, please contact Unifor Communications Representative Ian Boyko at @email or 778-903-6549 (cell).
