Many consumers are buying Canadian diamonds under the pretext that they are conflict free.
Ekati is the largest of the Canadian diamond mines. The mine produces 6 percent of the world’s diamond supply by value or 4 percent by weight and yields 3 to 5 million carats annually. The BHP Billiton the owners of the Ekati diamond mine market their diamonds as “conflict free” compared to the diamonds produced in war-torn African nations.
However, the Public Service Alliance of Canada has launched a “Dirty Diamonds” campaign against the BHP Billiton in the The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, in an attempt to increase public awareness of the ongoing strike at the Ekati diamond mine in Canada. "Dirty Diamonds Ad"
The PSAC is asking consumers not to buy Ekati diamonds. They feel that consumers who care about human rights and the fair treatment of workers anywhere in the world will not want to purchase the Ekati diamonds until the workers have reached a fair collective agreement.
Todd Parsons, President of the Union of Northern Workers, said, “We strongly support efforts to boycott blood diamonds in order to help those diamonds workers around the world get fair treatment. We expect that people who have refused to buy blood diamonds will also want to support our Ekati workers who are on strike exercising their democratic right to join a union and a get a contract.”
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