Northern Ontario construction projects affected by strikes

Strikers were scattered in the nickel capital on Tuesday morning to demand a new collective agreement. In addition to Local 793 of the International Union of Engineers/Operators, the Ontario Council of Carpenters is struggling to get along with employers.

Hardly had the construction season started when strikes began in early May to improve workers’ conditions.

In particular, the 15,000 carpenters in the province, 1,500 of whom are in the North, are demanding a salary increase, but the parties cannot agree.

Members rejected a proposal to increase salaries by 9% over a three-year period.

The members studied it and thought that the increase would be snuffed out by inflation. The rate of inflation has had a significant influence on members’ priorities explained the president of the Ontario Council of Carpenters, Mike Yorke, in an interview with CBC.

Talks in sight

The union he chairs launched its strike on 5 May. After a week of discussions, the employers have asked to resume the talks only from May 24 in order to have time to collect the data that will be presented to the union.

It’s disappointing. The last time we met was May 12. It’s been twelve days between this meeting and the next negotiation meeting, adds Mr. Yorke.

” Personally, I don’t believe that looking at data will change people’s minds. »

Some companies hope that this labor dispute will end quickly to avoid falling behind in their project.

We hope they are all at the negotiating table in good faith to try to find an arrangement. says the general manager of Greenstone Gold Mines, Éric Lamontagne.

The International Union of Engineers/Operators Local 793 went on strike May 2, but no one associated with the union would comment.

Slowdown for the mining and health sectors

The strikers were in particular on the site of a future long-term care center Extendicare, which will contain 256 beds. Elsewhere in the North, two new mines, including Côté Gold, of the Iamgold mining company, and Greenstone Gold, are also suffering the consequences of the strike.

What is critical for us is to finalize and close the buildings before winter , shares Mr. Lamontagne. There are still approximately 18 months of work to go before launching mine operations in February 2024.

Knowing that the strike would have a financial impact on many companies, the carpenters’ union wishes to return to the table as soon as possible.

We showed interest in meeting last weekend or even this week to begin to resolve our various issues, get our members back to work and play our part in the economy. But the employers did not accept says Yorke.

In an email sent on May 6, mining company Iamgold said strikers from the International Union of Engineers/Operators represent only 35 of the 950 workers on the site of Côté Gold and that the work is continuing. The mining company hopes that an agreement will be reached in the short term.

Extendicare did not respond to our interview requests.

A question of needs

According to Mike Yorke, the construction industry is in dire need of a few things. In particular, workers and, above all, young trained workers. This is one of his main objectives in negotiating with the agency representing the employers.

Need to ensure this industry is beneficial and a career option for the next generation he says.

With inflation rising and the housing market overheating, it is all the more important for Mr. Yorke to come to an agreement that will calm the spirits of workers.

” Our members are like everyone else. They are trying to make ends meet and through collective bargaining they have a chance of getting a better deal. »

This round of bargaining is very strange and unique. It reflects the concerns people have about the rising cost of living and the affordability of housing in our province, he confides.

With information from Christophe Simard & CBC