March 24, 2008

SLCP-SELI Joint Venture laid off foreign workers within minutes of final Canada Line breakthrough, union claims

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

Foreign workers hired to operate a tunnel-boring machine on the Canada Line were laid off minutes after a ceremony celebrating the machine boring the last tunnel.

SLCP-SELI Joint Venture imported and employed foreign workers, from Costa Rica, Colombia, and Equador, to construct the Canada Line tunnel in Vancouver as part of the rapid transit expansion project in Vancouver.

The foreign workers assembled and operated a massive 440 tonne tunnel-boring machine, dug through the earth beneath False Creek.

The tunnel-boring machine broke through into open air at 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, March 2, near the location of the planned Waterfront station.

The completion of this critical phase in construction was marked by a ceremony that was attended by foreign workers and Premier Gordon Campbell.

However, shortly after the ceremony a group of foreign workers were laid off and then told they must go home immediately.

“The tunnel-boring machine broke through for a tidy media event. A bunch of foreign workers were used for a photo opportunity and a handshake with the Premier,” said Kevin Blakley, legal council for the Construction and Specialized Workers’ Union Local 1611.

“About a half-hour later, they were laid off. The guys who were laid off received a medal and were given a $20 bonus.”

The union claims the laid off workers were among the most militant in pushing for union representation for their Latin American crew.

“Almost all the guys who were laid off testified before the Labour Relations Board or the Human Rights Tribunal,” Blakley said.

“On March 3, they got a letter that said they can leave to go home on a flight on March 6 or March 13. The workers were also told in writing they must be out of their accommodation by March 6.”

A representative for the Canada Line employer agreed that the layoffs happened immediately after the ceremony, but he said they were not being punished for their union activity.

Chris Wates, human resources manager with the SLCP-SELI Joint Venture, said that 11 Latin Americans, eight Europeans and four Canadians were told they would receive layoff notices on March 3.

“The Latin Americans have not been singled out. It is an across-the-board layoff. Everybody knew the layoffs were coming,” Wates said.

“We tried to give people as much notice as possible, but some people were laid off right after the ceremony.”

Wates said the layoffs had nothing to do with union activity and that it was strictly a business decision.

“The layoffs were decided on the basis of skills and experience. General attitude does play into things, as in all projects,” Wates said. “We have no idea who the union supporters are.”

The union doesn’t accept the claim that the lay-offs were determined by skills and experience. More than a month of work remains disassembling the tunnel boring machine and preparing it for shipment to a new project.

“This claim is absolute garbage. They could have been constructively employed. The guys who assembled the machine are the ones that are going home,” Blakley said.

The employer also refuted claims the lay offs were related to workers giving evidence before an ongoing Human Rights Tribunal. A complaint was filed when the workers realized the terms and conditions of their employment were significantly different and substandard in comparison to their non-Latin American colleagues, who perform identical, similar or less skilled work.

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