Tumbler Ridge Braces For Loss of 270 Jobs
Tumbler Ridge, B.C. – The business agent for The International Union Of Operating Engineers, local 115 which represents the 270 workers about to be permanently laid off at Peace River Coal near Tumbler Ridge says he is furious , that the only mine left operating in the region, is Murray River, which has 48 temporary foreign workers constructing a new mine.
“I know that there may be some expertise needed in long wall mining which Murray River is involved in” says Brett Chapman, business agent for local 115 ” The expertise is only needed for a few workers and the rest , could be replaced with the guys that are about to lose their jobs in Peace River Coal.”
Peace River Coal has announced they will close their operations at the end of the year throwing 270 workers from Tumbler Ridge out of work. The company says the mine will remain closed until markets and prices pick up.
The announcement has devastated the community of Tumbler Ridge after another mine Wolverine curtailed operations earlier this year, throwing 420 people out of work.
Chapman says he wants answers, “What the hell is going on? Stop selling our resources in this manner where the workers from a foreign country are taking the jobs away from Canadians.”
Tumbler Ridge Mayor, Darwin Wren says, “We have diversified our economy with wind power, forestry etc, but having said that we will ask government to assist in re training”. On the issues of the foreign workers at the Murray River Coal mine Mayor Wren says he will work to ensure that Canadians should have this work first.
Councillor Don McPherson remains optimistic “We are hoping that things will be a bit better in this community than the last time coal operations shut down. We think that some people will choose to live here and work elsewhere.”
Comments
Allow all these mines to open flood the market and here are the results. Like the forest industry however they are slowly learning. Government needs to pay attention, plan but not the case here so the loss with four mine closures in the past 15 months 1100.
TFW’s, another Canadian/provincial govt handout to business.
“We have diversified our economy with wind power, forestry etc, but having said that we will ask government to assist in re training”
Sounds like someone that doesn’t realize there is a labour dispute going on around here. Hey Mr Mayor, why should taxpayers pick up the tab for retraining anyone while we have an ongoing battle between our awesome teachers and the Clark/Fassbender corporation?
Dragonmaster, I am having a difficult time trying to make the connection between these employee’s that are being laid off and the teachers that are on strike… Are you suggesting that the teachers are more important and should have priority over everyone else in the province? If you haven’t noticed these teachers have an option to work, whereas the mine workers currently do not have any options.
Tumbler is an awesome little town and I hope they can pull through and persevere. They have been through worse and hope they keep that little town together until these mines go back to doing what they do. Just heard a CBC radio story on the dinosaur footprint finds of late in the area, great place to visit for hiking or camping.
Dragonmaster, all of us that post on this site are guilty of the occasional ridiculous statement.
Today, you made one of yours!
It’s all about tax dollars tdiguy. Many here whine their butts off about who gets them, unless it benefits them personally. Taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for training people that will benefit business that already gets welfare from the taxpayers in this country.
Move to the back of the line!
Maybe the other unions will band together and send some cash up to their brothers. Or is that only useful when its a big enough group to use as leverage during the next hostage taking. I mean contract negotiation.
Jobs for BC is working wonders.
” Tumbler Ridge says he is furious , that the only mine left operating in the region, is Murray River, which has 48 temporary foreign workers constructing a new mine.”
The temps still get to work! Something very wrong with that deal!
Temps had the work before the mines closed, there should be some way for unions to ‘bump’ the temps – there is in most unions or is Murray River a non-union site?
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