MINER DETAILS — Crossing the line at Giant

More and more miners are crossing the picket line at the Giant gold mine near Yellowknife, N.W.T., where a labor dispute has kept most union workers off the job since May of this year.

The dispute ranks among the most bitter and violent in recent years, largely because mine owner Royal Oak Mines took the unprecedented step (in Canada at least) of bringing in replacement workers to keep the operation going during the strike.

About 110 experienced miners from across Canada are now working, eating and sleeping on the Giant mine property. Labelled “scabs” by union members, these replacement miners dare not leave the site to go into town to have dinner, to sightsee, or to partake of Yellowknife’s nightlife.

Union members crossing the picket line don’t have it easy either. During a recent visit to the mine, several talked openly of being subjected to verbal and physical abuse (such as rock-throwing), various forms of intimidation, and acts of vandalism.

Financial reasons were cited as the most common reason for “crossing the line,” but some said they were also turned off by the violence, or came to the realization that the strike wasn’t really about financial or safety issues, but about “control” of the mine.

The Giant mine, now running at full capacity, is still wearing its battle scars. Broken windows are more common than not in the main office and mill, and a number of trucks and other vehicles totally trashed by rocks or by ramming tell a story of their own.

A security team regularly patrols the tailings line where repairs to acts of sabotage are evident. It also constantly monitors other environmentally sensitive installations, such as the water treatment plant which mine officials fear could become a target of the small core of radicals believed to be causing most of the problems at Giant.

Union officials say they “don’t know anything” about these incidents, including the latest, where a satellite dish was destroyed by explosives near the homes of supervisory staff and their families. But they must know that some members are facing criminal charges relating to incidents arising from the June 14 riot which was captured on videotape by security personnel. By not taking a hard-line stand against such activities, the Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers Local No. 4 is effectively condoning violence and environmental sabotage. Feigning ignorance is no different than turning a blind eye.