Work at the Murray River underground coal mining project in Tumbler Ridge B.C. is slated to begin within a few weeks. The initial 200 positions will be filled by foreign temporary workers even while the jobless rate in Northern B.C. sits at 10.5 per cent, higher than the provincial average of 6.8 per cent.
Much has been made of the provincial government鈥檚 move to strengthen ties with China and bring investment and development dollars in the B.C. economy. 鈥淥ur exports to China are already more than $2.8 billion鈥� that鈥檚 just one of the reasons why continuing to open up trade with China has been a major focus of the BC Jobs Plan,鈥� said Premier Christy Clark on Oct. 9, 2012.
But there is a training gap to be overcome if that jobs plan is to put Canadians to work. HD Mining International, the company that will begin bulk sampling at the Tumbler Ridge project, advertised in B.C. and Canada-wide for experienced underground miners, and found none. Under the federal temporary foreign worker program, employers must demonstrate that there are no Canadians available to fill job vacancies before they are permitted to import labour.
HD Mining published employment advertisements on various national job boards as well as in the federal jobs bank. Apparently no qualified applicant responded even though some of the positions were for 鈥榟elpers鈥� positions. All 201 initial positions will be filled under the foreign temporary workers program.
鈥淭he notion that Canadian workers don鈥檛 have the skills to do mining work is preposterous,鈥� says Mark Olsen, President of the Bargaining Council of British Columbia Building Trades Unions. 鈥淭he fact is, there are men and women right here in B.C. who are trained, ready, willing and able to move into these jobs at a moment鈥檚 notice.鈥�
The United Steelworkers (USW) has criticized the posted job offerings as having been designed to exclude Canadian workers. Job postings included a minimum of one year鈥檚 experience for a helpers position as well as Mandarin being listed among the preferences and requirements for the position.
The province responded that 鈥楳andarin was not a required language for any of the jobs,鈥� and technically, 鈥楳andarin鈥� was not listed as a requirement. Stephen Hunt, USW Director, asked how discouraging it would be for a job searcher to see Mandarin listed as, 鈥榠f not a qualification, then at least as a consideration鈥� for a posting.
Hunt also expressed concern that the advertised position required one year鈥檚 underground experience. 鈥淎 helper鈥檚 position is an entry level, learning position,鈥� he said, and it was extremely unusual for an entry level position like that to require one years鈥� experience in an underground mine.
New Democrat mines critic Doug Donaldson was concerned with the larger trend of bringing temporary workers into the province. 鈥淎nalysts have been warning about the skills labour shortage or years鈥� plans to bring in 201 temporary foreign workers [to Tumbler Ridge] only brought focus onto this issue,鈥� he said on Oct. 12.
The BC Mining Human Resource Task Force has projected that the provincial labour force will need to fill over 16,700 positions between 2012 and 2022. In Northern B.C. the hiring requirements will exceed 2000 workers.
鈥淣o miner is born a miner,鈥� said Hunt. 鈥淵ou need to be trained.鈥�
But underground mine training is not available in B.C. The College of New Caledonia offers mining and drilling programs throughout Northern B.C., but they train for surface mining operations. Ann McCormick, supervisor of CNC鈥檚 Fort St. James campus said, 鈥淐NC鈥檚 mining certificate program trains people to work in entry level positions in open pit mines, like [those at] Mount Milligan or Endako.鈥� McCormick has been following the Tumbler Ridge developments and has been encouraging the province to work with local colleges to 鈥榠nvest in mining specific training鈥�.
The 亚洲天堂 Lake CNC campus offers both a mining certificate and a driller鈥檚 helper certificate. Both programs are very successful and are in their second year running, but they train people for surface mine work, not underground.
The province also emphasized that the short-term nature of these positions. 鈥淭he company applied for and received a bulk-sample permit鈥� This is work required in advance of moving forward with the project,鈥� reads a statement released by the province on Oct. 16.
鈥淭hese are very short term jobs, six to eight months,鈥� said minister Pat Bell to the CBC on Oct. 19. 鈥淭he company was unable to convince people at other operating plants to come and take those positions given that they鈥檙e short term.鈥�
NDP Member of parliament for Skeena-Bulkley Nathan Cullen sees a deeper issue than the hiring of 200 workers for temporary positions. 鈥淭his is going to be a big issue as communities that pushed for certain projects assuming that those projects would be filled by Canadian workers are now learning that might not be the case,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how you can call this an economic recovery if the people going to work are from other countries.鈥�
