Labour Relations in Nova Scotia: the Struggle in the Mining Industry

LabourRelationsin NovaScotia:TheStruggle in theMiningIndustry

“The most important thing to come out of a mine is the miner.”

Frédéric Le Play (1806-1882) French socialist and inspector general of mines of France

Mining,especiallycoal mining underground, hasbeenabackboneofthe NovaScotian economysincetheearly1800’s. It isa dirtyliving, and formany years,an unsafe occupation.A miner willtell youthat“goingunderground” isintheir blood; they couldnotimagine working anywhereelse.Wholefamilies havespenttheirlivesinthe pits.Accordingtothe NovaScotia archives,2581individualsareknowntohavedied inNovaScotia asa directresultofmining accidentsordisastersbetween1838and1992.1

MostNovaScotiansarefamiliarwiththe 956Springhillexplosion,the 1958Springhill bump,andthe 1992WestRayexplosion, wherea total of140menperished.They areeither still inour recentmemoryorwehearabouttheminourlocalsongs.But the forgottenexplosions andaccidentsoverthe yearswerethe“raison d’etre” forthebirth ofthelabourmovementin the industry.Beginningin1873withthe DrummondCollierydisasterinWestville(60-70

deaths),NovaScotia coalminersandtheirfamilieslost 50morecomradesinthe FoordPit

ExplosioninStellartonin1880,125soulsinthe firstSpringhillMine disasterin1891,65workers inthe 1917DominionNo.12Collieryexplosion,88morein the AlbionMine explosionin Stellarton, andanother20asa resultofa cable breakina mineshaftin Sydney Mines in1938.

Itisnowonderthatthe familiesofthe minersfelt theironlyroadout ofcapitalistgreed was via the unionandthey werepreparedtofacestarvation,beatings,and deathtofightfora decent

pay packetandsafe workingconditions.

1Novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/meninmines/disasters.asp?Language=English

The governmentsofthe era werenotabovegettinginvolvedin the workerdisputes, believingthatit wasinthe publicinterestthatthe company maintaintheirauthority overthe miners.They oftensent the policeorthearmyinto protect “scab” workersorto breakthe strikes.The governmentrationale wasthat the“miners’ actionswere viewed asa threatto public order, freedom ofcontract, and privateproperty.”2

NovaScotia coal minersestablishedaunionin1879 “duringa strikeprovoked by successivewagecuts atthe SpringhillMine inCumberlandCounty.”3RobertDrummond,the Grand Secretaryofthe Provincial Workman’s Union(PWA), insisted that theworkersask foran “honest wage forhonest work”.4Hepushedthe governmentfor safer mineregulationsand betterenforcement;in1883,twodeputymineinspectors werehiredbythe NovaScotia government.The companyinSpringhillworkedrelatively wellwithPWA.Butthe workerswere dissatisfied and changedtothe UnitedMine WorkersUnionin1909.Thisorganizationwas strongerand more“militant“ and thecompany refused to dealwiththem. Thememberswent onstrikeinAugust1909, backedbya strong brotherhoodofminersandthe financial support ofthe union. Nearlytwoyearsofreducedproductionweakenedthe company.In 1911,bythe timethe DominionSteelandCoal Company(DOSCO)takesover,theunion’s financeswere drainedand theworkers’ determination wasdwindled. The strikeended in May1911and the

minerstook the loss.5

2

hill

3ibid

4ibid

5Baker,William.ThePersonalTouch:MacKenzieKing,HarriettReid,and theSpringhillStrike,1909-1911

TwoholidaysinNovaScotia arededicatedtothe Labourmovement.AccordingtoKen Georgettiofthe CanadianLabourCongress,LabourDay,celebratedthefirst Monday in September,wasestablished“torecognizethe contributionthatordinaryworking people have madetothe Canadianway oflife.”6Hegoesontosaythatthe unionshavefoughtfor“... the righttofairwages,safe workingconditionsandcompensationforinjury,andequitablelabour relations.”7

The secondholidayisDavisDay,celebratedmainlyinCape BretononJune11theach year.WilliamDavis,a father ofnine,waskilled bytheBritishEmpireSteelCorporation(BESCO) companypoliceduring themineworkers’ strike inthe spring of1925inNewWaterford.The autocraticandslavishtreatmentoftheworkersfordecadeshadled tothe strike.Atfirst,when the DominionSteelandCoalCompany (DOSCO)wasgivena99-yearleasein1893,there was greatprosperityandthe miningtowns doubled insize.However,becausethecompanystock paid dividendsonlyiftheoperating costs werereduced,thecompany was constantlycutting wagesandignoringsafety concernsinfavourofproduction.BESCOtook overin1921and continuedwiththesame managementpractices.Conditions forthe workerswerehorrendous and pay wascontinuallybeing reduced.Between1920and1925there were58strikes.

The UnitedMineworkersofAmericaDistrict26organizedthe strike of1925,the sixthof the decade.Afterthree monthsofnopay,the familiesofthememberswerenearstarvationas the companystore had cutofftheir credit.As well,BESCOhad cutoffthewaterand powerto

the townstwoweeksearlier.The unionorganized aprotestandworkersandtheirfamiliesfrom

6

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other miningtownsjoinedtheNewWaterfordcontingent.The planwastostormthe power plantandturn the utilities back on.The companypolice firedonthe workers,dropping the first line. The restofthe minerssurroundedthe police and beatthem,butnot beforethree men wereseriouslywoundedandWilliamDaviswas dead.8Safe conditions anddecentpay were hardwon bythe labourers ofthe mines ofNewWaterfordthroughthisendeavourandthe continuednegotiationsoverthe next sixdecades.DavisDayhasevolvedoverthe years toa commemorationofnotonlythe strugglethatcaused Davis’sdeath, butforallwhodied inNova Scotianmines.

Although mining issafer nowthana centuryago,the disaster atWestrayin Pictou County hastaughtthe miningindustry,thegovernment,and NovaScotiansingeneralthat vigilance mustbemaintained:thelabour fighthasnotbeenwon.Twenty-sixminersdied asa resultofgovernmentincompetenceandapathy,company neglectandgreed,and poorly trained,unrepresentedemployees.The UnitedMineworkersofAmerica,Local 26,failed in their union driveinJanuary 1992.Whilethey succeededin Aprilofthatsameyear,the certificationdid notoccur until afterthe explosion.

Accordingtotheinquiryconductedafterthe disaster,the conditions inthe mine were horrendous. The company was negligentinitsdutiesregardingsafeworkingconditions and trainingofthe employees.It wasan “accident waitingto happen”.9The politicianspushedthe approvalprocessandthe fundingthroughbecausePictouCounty neededjobs.TheDepartment

ofLabourandthe DepartmentofNaturalResourcesdid notfulfiltheirmandates,sothe

8Novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/meninmines/davis.asp

9Novascotia.ca/lae/pubs/westray/summary.asp

company wasallowedto continueoperatinginanillegaland unsafe manner.Afterthe explosion,themine manager,GeraldPhillips,andthe premierofNovaScotia, DonCameron(a PictouCounty native),blamedthe unsafe practicesofthe minersforcreatingthe conditions whichallowedthe methanegas toblowup.Inreality, ifthe minershad beentrainedproperly and had workedin aculture wheresafe workingpracticeswerepromotedandthere wasa systemofensuring safety,theworkerswouldhavebeenbetterabletounderstandandcease thedangerouspractices.Had theminersbeen unionrepresented,aprotocolforensuring safety took precedenceover productionwouldhavebeenestablished.If the hard-wongains of organizedlabourover the lasttwohundredyearswouldnothave beenignoredby

management,regulatorybodies, and politicians,these menmightstill bealive today.The 26

bodieswerenever recovered.The mine wasflooded,the companybankrupted,and noone heldcriminally responsible.10

In conclusion,organizedlabourinNovaScotiahasa longhistory ofworking diligently withthe mining communityforthe bettermentofconditions.Overthedecades,the bloodand hunger ofthemembersandtheirfamilies,supportedmentally,physically,andfinancially bythe their chosenunion have wonenviableworkingconditionsfornot onlymineworkers,but for mostemployees,unionized ornot,inthe province.Andalthough workershavethe righttosafe workingconditionstoday,those conditionscannotbe achievedwithoutamanagementculture ofsafety,regulatorybodies’ enforcement, andaworkenvironmentthatsupportsthisright.

Together,workingwiththe unions, wewillgetthere.

10ibid