With a midnight July 12 deadline fast approaching, very little progress is being made at the bargaining table, according to a media release by the United Steelworkers Locals 6500 and 6200.
"We continue to work and we hope that a collective agreement can be reached but, at this time, that seems very unlikely," said John Fera, president of United Steelworkers Local 6500.
"Vale is attempting to force concessions in several major areas of our collective agreement,” said Wayne Fraser, director of the United Steelworkers District 6. “Our membership has told us clearly that they will not accept concessions. That is our mandate."
Locals 6500 and 6200 have a website – local6500usw.ca – which can be accessed by members for regular updates from the bargaining committee. Vale Inco also has a negotiations site and can be found at valeinconegotiations.com.
Vale Inco and the union announced May 27 that they mutually agreed to extend the current collective agreements until midnight on July 12. However, contract talks soured afterward, with Fera calling Vale a “third-world employer” that “only recognizes dollars – not people.” Vale pulled key negotiators from the talks and assigned them to other duties.
Vale Inco has operations in Ontario in Sudbury and Port Colborne.
