HD Mining has announced that it is sending 16 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) at its Murray River coal project back to China.
The company cited union litigation as a key reason for the move.
B.C. trade unions have been seeking a judicial review of HD Mining’s permit to bring 201 TFWs from China to develop a Tumbler Ridge coal mine, arguing that qualified Canadian workers weren’t considered.
“This was a difficult decision for us,” said HD Mining spokeswoman Jody Shimkus, “but we are very concerned about the cost and disruption this litigation brought by the unions has caused to the planning of the project.”
Shimkus said the company needs “reasonable certainty” before initiating work on its underground bulk sample phase of the project.
She said the company will also delay bringing additional workers to Tumbler Ridge until it has “reliable certainty.”
Pengui Yan, chair of HD Mining, said the company is committed to the community of Tumbler Ridge and has invested $15 million in “housing and other local initiatives.”
“But we have to be able to rely on the Canadian legal system – and receive fair treatment from governments – when planning and developing projects,” he said.
“In the absence of being able to find Canadians qualified and interested to do this work, we need to know we can rely on the two-year temporary foreign worker authorizations we received.”
