Workers concerned, disappointed by permanent layoffs from Cameco
Hundreds of workers at mining operations in northern Saskatchewan have been in touch with their local unions following news that Cameco plans to permanently lay off hundreds of workers at the McArthur Lake and Key Lake uranium operations.
The workers are worried and concerned, and are left with few other options for employment in northern Saskatchewan, according to United Steelworkers Local 8914 Union President Denis O’Hara. The workers are eligible for employment insurance benefits and Cameco has agreed to pay health benefits and a 75 per cent top-up of wages until November 15, but O’Hara said the employees still have a tough decision to make.
“Following November 15, their name either goes on a three-year recall list – in other words they will still be Cameco employees for the next 36 months – or they can apply for a severance package and terminate their employment,” O’Hara said Thursday. “Fifty per cent of the union workforce is of Aboriginal ancestry, most of whom live in northern communities where there’s no job opportunities.”
Cameco announced Wednesday that it would permanently lay off the workers who have been temporarily laid off since January. The company said the decision is due to low uranium prices and a surplus of supply in stores around the world.