Nicole Skuggedal Speaks at WAOML 2025 in Mexico City

Nicole Skuggedal recently participated in a panel discussion at the WAOML 2025 conference in Mexico City, titled “Working with Unions: Challenges & Recommendations for Union Engagement.” The session brought together labour and employment experts from Mexico, USA and Canada to examine evolving union landscapes and cross-border legal considerations in the mining industry.

Moderated by Hugo Hernandez Ojeda (Hogan Lovells), the panel included speakers Andrea Brizio Rivas (Fisher Phillips), Kevin Inwood (Vale), Michael McCarthy (Barrick), and Nicole Skuggedal (Lawson Lundell). Topics included the union environment across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico; implications of the USMCA and Mexico’s strike process; trends in diversity, equity and inclusion; and drug and alcohol testing in unionized settings.

Nicole focused on the Canadian context, discussing the legal framework for unionization at mine sites, including union access rights, employer responses to organizing campaigns, and the unique role of Indigenous partners in certification and collective bargaining. She also addressed the complex legal considerations involved in drug and alcohol testing in unionized workplaces.