KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – The United Steelworkers (USW) is denouncing Kirkland Lake Gold’s ongoing attempts to prolong the process to determine if employees will join the union.
A secret-ballot vote was held last November to allow KL Gold’s Macassa Mine employees to decide if they wanted to join the USW. Since then ballot boxes have remained sealed by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) and results of the vote have not been determined.
The process continues to drag on because KL Gold wants the vote to include workers employed by outside contractors, the USW contends.
This week, the OLRB decided that additional hearings will be required to hear arguments on the matter. No dates have been set.
“KL Gold workers have been organizing to create a union for three years now,” noted USW Ontario Director Marty Warren.
“The company continues to drag out this process with unreasonable positions. They want to delay a final decision as long as they can and thwart the democratic rights of workers to choose a union,” Warren said.
“The United Steelworkers will continue to stand with KL Gold employees and to support them throughout this process, until a just resolution is achieved.”
For more information, KL Gold workers can contact Pascal Boucher at the USW office in Kirkland Lake, at 705-567-1849 or 705-521-3414, on Facebook at Better KL Gold, or online at www.betterklgold.com.
Marty Warren, USW Ontario Director, 416-243-8792, mwarren@usw.ca
Pascal Boucher, USW Organizing, 705-567-1849 or 705-521-3414, pboucher@usw.ca
Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, bgallagher@usw.ca
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