The United Steelworkers Local at the Highland Valley Copper mine is not happy with managements new policy on cannabis use.
After a review, President Kyle Wolfe says the union is already filing a grievance.
He says the zero tolerance policy at the mine, which he says is illegal under Canadian law, has now turned into a privacy versus a human rights issue.
“You are testing for THC metabolic, you know the after effects of THC,” he said. “It’s comparable to eating a steak and say I ate a steak last night and somehow its affecting you.”
“They are testing drug use up to 28 days after the issue. We are concerned about the safety of our employees but we are also concerned about their ability to do what they want on the weekends including possibly medical THC.”
Wolfe says as the laws change they expect to see less invasive and more practical methods like swab testing introduced at the mine.
He added drug use at the mine is not a problem.