Hospitality workers at the Red Chris copper-gold mine near the village of Iskut have overwhelmingly voted in favour of their first union contract with UNITE HERE Local 40.
The contract, which 99 per cent of workers supported, establishes a new benchmark for wages and working conditions for camp workers in the province, according to the union.
Around 140 culinary, housekeeping and janitorial workers are employed at the mine by Spatsizi Remote Services, a joint venture between the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation and Sodexo.
Wages for camp workers will rise by more than 40 per cent over the next 18 months. Housekeepers at the mine will earn over $30 per hour by the end of the contract term. Work schedules will also be more manageable and equitable going forward, they said.
“There are times when we’re expected to clean up to 50 or 60 rooms in a day. We aren’t robots. We need manageable workloads so that we don’t hurt ourselves and pay rates that are similar to what other Local 40 camp members have won,” said Darlene Hamblin, a housekeeper at the camp, back in October.
This dispute began in April when workers at the Red Chris Mine unionized with UNITE HERE Local 40, which represents around a thousand camp hospitality workers in various camps. Following months of negotiations, workers voted 92 per cent in favour of job action on Oct. 10. On Nov. 7, they issued a 72-hour strike notice with their employer.
Located in northwestern BC’s “Golden Triangle,” the mine is owned by Newmont, one of the world’s leading gold mining companies.
