When asked for a response to International Mines Group’s claim that Canadians “just don’t have the experience” to operate longwall equipment, United Steelworkers director Stephen Hunt said: “Bullshit!”

The Vancouver Sun reported yesterday that the first of 200 temporary Chinese workers approved by the federal government would start arriving in coming weeks to work in the burgeoning northeast metallurgical coal industry.

Up to 2000 Chinese nationals could find full-time work in four projects being proposed for the region, the Vancouver Sun said.

It was reported the four projects could create 480-800 full-time mining jobs for Canadians.

“Without the Chinese and the technology they’re bringing … these particular mines would not have been developed,” Canadian Dehua chief executive John Cavanagh told the paper.

Hunt said: “That’s just a cop-out, a way to bring in guest workers who are going to go into a camp, contribute virtually nothing to the economy, and then when they’re done they’ll be sent back to China.”

The first group of Chinese will work on developing a coal seam at the Murray River coal project, one of four BC metallurgical projects Canadian Dehua has planned.

Cavanagh reportedly said the workers would receive a “competitive” wage.

He said they would be taught roughly 100 English words, all related to safety.