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28 July, 2005
In the chemicals sector, bargaining will resume 19 July in Canada in the five-week-old strike between CEP and Invista. Some 380 members of CEP Local 28-0 have been on strike in Maitland, Ontario, since 4 June over a concessionary company proposal.
That proposal would cut benefits in the third year of a proposed three-year contract, force unwanted language on them in which they would be made redundant before contract workers are laid off. The proposal also includes longer working hours, which, judging by Invista’s experience, would result in layoffs.
CEP has taken the fight to Ontario’s elected officials fearing Invista is braced to start production with replacement workers, an obvious health and safety menace to the Maitland community.
The plant manufactures nylon intermediates, refrigerants, and engineered polymer products. Invista was formed in 2004 when DuPont spun off its textiles and interiors business to Koch Industries of the US for US$4.4 billion. Koch combined its KoSa fibres business with the DuPont business, and Invista now has 24,000 employees at operations in 50 countries, including 90 plants in the US and Canada.