Ekati Diamond Mine Workers Set to Walkout

Workers at the Ekati diamond mine in Canada are set to stage a walkout on March 29 if mine owners, BHP Billiton, do not return quickly to the negotiating table. The dispute between unionized workers and the miner includes wages, seniority, and better treatment of aboriginals.

The walkout threat comes a week after members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents about 400 employees (60 percent) of the mines work force, voted against a labor contract offer from the miner, reports Reuters. As a result, BHP has said that it will not return to negotiations earlier than April 18.

The Ekati mine in the Northwest Territories is Canada's first diamond mine and produced four to five million carats per year, or around 4 percent of the world's diamond production by weight.