Workers at BHP’s Escondida mine in Chile reject contract offer, union says
Workers at the world's largest copper mine rejected an offer for a new collective bargaining agreement, setting the stage for a potential strike.
BC NDP leader Adrian Dix said Tuesday in Prince George the party will support mining and natural gas in the province by providing for skills training and exploration activities as well as measures to end the permitting backlog.
The party would meet industry’s need for skilled local workers through training programs, he said, to support growth and address anticipated vacancies due to the aging work force.
The NDP platform is to promote and support sustainable mining and exploration in BC by:
The party would set a timeline of 55 day Notice of Work permits — this would be an improvement on BC Liberals’ goal of 60 days, which the NDP said has not been met while they have been in government and resulted in backlogs of approvals.
Dix noted, as of December 31, 2012, the backlog in the province of land act and water act authorizations totaled 3,153.
The BC provincial election takes place on May 14.
