Mediated talks have broken off between Vale and the striking Steelworkers Local 6500 in Sudbury, despite “having a deal at hand,” according to John Pollesel, general manager of Vale's Ontario operations.
A new round of discussions over the 11-month strike, which has left roughly 3,000 workers on local picket lines, were being overseen by independent mediator Kevin Burkett as of June 19.
According to a release by Burkett, the two sides have reached an impasse over “the adjudicative avenues available to eight of the nine employees discharged from their employment during the course of the strike.”
As such, mediation was terminated June 29, lifting the communications blackout that had been imposed through the duration of the process.
In a release, Pollesel said a deal had been reached on all issues as of June 22, including the contentious issue of the matter of the discharged employees. However, the two sides disagreed on how the submission of the matter to the Ontario Labor Relations Board would take place, deadlocking talks.
“As far as we're concerned, all other matters remain agreed,” said Pollesel.
No further talks are scheduled, and Burkett has stated that further mediation will not resolve the issue.
Peter Fonseca, the provincial Minister of Labour, has also chimed in on the developments.
Through a release, Fonseca has announced he will be meeting with both Vale and the Steelworkers by week's end and ask each to explain their inability to agree on the question of this final issue.
When asked by Northern Ontario Business' sister publication Northern Life as to whether a deal could be reached soon, Local 6500 president John Fera said he was hopeful for some resolution in the near future.
“We're very close to the finish line here,” said Fera. “Let's not lose sight of how hard we've worked to get this agreement. Let's get it done, and let's get back to work.”
With files from Northern Life
