Sask. company accused of threatening staff during bid to unionize

A rock salt manufacturer in rural Saskatchewan is being accused of using intimidation tactics to suppress a campaign to unionize among its staff.

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A rock salt manufacturer in rural Saskatchewan is being accused of using intimidation tactics to suppress a campaign to unionize among its staff.

In a decision released late February, the provincial labour relations board said managers at NSC Minerals in Vanscoy made statements in a mandatory all-staff meeting that could be perceived as threats against workers found to be organizing with the prospective union, United Steelworkers (USW).

A staff member audio recorded the Jan. 30 meeting, later shared with the labour board by a USW representative.

According to the report of board chair Michael Morris, NSC managers asked for a show of hands in response to the question “who likes working here?”

“I thought it’d be good to sit everybody down and let you know what it looks like if they do, I say, weasel their f**king way in,” one manager said.

The management team encouraged staff who got a call from USW to find out who shared their number and report the information to management.