Labrador mine workers suspended for calling in sick

A worker at the Iron Ore Company of Canada in Labrador West says he was suspended for calling in sick over Christmas, and he's not the only person who was disciplined.

Blair Cheeseman, who has worked at IOC for nearly five years, says a stomach bug prevented him from going to work over the holidays.

He told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning on Thursday that the company has now sent him a letter saying he will be suspended from Jan. 27-29.

Cheeseman said IOC sent a letter to employees in mid-December telling them they would be suspended for a minimum of three shifts if they called in sick between Dec. 22 and Jan. 4, even if they had a doctor's note.

"I would consider that a threat, or being bullied," said Cheeseman.

"The shift would have been almost 75 bucks an hour for me to go in, so obviously it's a pretty good shift to go in to get paid for. Being sick, I just couldn't do it."

Cheeseman said he missed two days because he was throwing up, and when he went to work still felt sick and had to seek first aid, where he was offered Gravol.

"That is drowsy medication, and I'm an operator-maintainer, which operates drills and oil trucks, so I think a drowsy medication would not be a good thing."

Had to 'suffer it out'

Cheeseman, 35, said his team leader advised him to go home, but he didn't.

"If you miss three days or more you self-terminate yourself, so I had no other choice but to suffer it out."

Cheeseman said his union has told him about 150 workers are being disciplined.

I would consider that a threat, or being bullied.- Blair Cheeseman

He said many are too nervous to speak out.

"I personally think that's not a good work atmosphere if you are afraid to stand up for yourself, and afraid to pick up for yourself when you feel that you've been wronged."

Cheeseman said he is lucky to have a job with the falling price of iron ore, but doesn't think he did anything wrong.

"I want to be respected and I want to be treated good by who I work with," he said.

"And they skipped over the steps that you need to go through, like, you need to be written up and you need to get a verbal warning, stuff like that. They just suspended people out flat."

If IOC was short-staffed over Christmas, Cheeseman said it should have brought in laid-off workers to cover shifts.

The company said in an email on Thursday that it would have nothing to say about the sick leave issue.

"We do not comment publicly on internal processes such as discipline," wrote Marsha Power-Slade, senior advisor of external relations and corporate affairs with IOC.