United Steelworkers rally for janitorial staff rehiring
The United Steelworkers union is calling for the Iron Ore Company of Canada to rehire all of the mine's laid-off janitorial staff.
Approximately 25 people showed up at the company's gate in Labrador City on Tuesday morning to demand change.
The company laid off its 29-member janitorial staff this June. Some of the workers have nearly 30 years of service.
"It's unfair and everybody knows it's unfair," Wanda Head told CBC Radio's Labrador Morning. Head, who worked as a janitor for IOC for 24 years, said she's not ready to give up yet.
"I've lived here for 40 years I'm not going away. They might want me to go away but I'm not going away. I'm going to stay here and I'm going to fight for as long as it takes."
In the wake of the janitorial layoffs, other workers at the site must do the janitorial work on top of their other jobs.
Ron Thomas, the union local president, said the union is pushing for arbitration on the layoffs. So far, however, he said the company is not co-operating.
"The steelworkers are staying strong and we're going to be fighting right to the bitter end for these labourers, they need to get back to work," Thomas said.