Union Mining Alliance Comes Together Around CVRD of Brazil

A Unity Accord was developed 19-21 March in Canada for unions representing workers at Brazilian-based Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD). Last year, the giant Brazilian iron ore, coal, and metal mining company took over Canadian-based, the western world’s leading nickel producer.

Signing the accord, which contains six priorities for the trade unions, were the United Steelworkers (USW) of Canada, host of the unity event in Sudbury, Ontario, and trade unions from Brazil, Mozambique, and New Caledonia. ICEM Vice President Ken Neumann, USW’s National Director for Canada, opened the conference.

USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann 

The unions participating include the National Confederation for Workers in the Mineral Sector (CNTSM) and Sindi-Metals (CNM-CUT) of Brazil, the National Union of ConstructionWorkers (SINTICIM) of Mozambique, and Union des Syndicate d'Ouvriers et Employés de Nouvelle-Calédonie (USOENC) of New Caledonia, the largest mining union on the French territorial islands. They were joined by branch unions of the USW from five CVRD/Inco locations in Canada.

USW President Leo Gerard, a former miner at Inco in Sudbury, said the Unity Accord was not signed in an adversarial or confrontational manner. “When there are companies as big as CVRD, it is tremendously important that workers come together in solidarity and unity, in order to build on each other’s victories and to minimize each other defeats,” said Gerard at a press conference, as reported in the Sudbury Star newspaper.

Added USW District Canadian District 6 Director Wayne Fraser, “As companies become more global, it’s no longer a matter of flag-waving for your union. You need to be a global union network, because you are dealing with a global, transnational company.”

The six priorities of the CVRD Unity Accord include: stronger collective agreements; pushing for more capital expenditures to ensure job security in mining communities; safe and healthy workplaces, and environmentally sustainable operations; respecting the human rights within communities, including the right to organise and bargain collectively; full access from CVRD on acquisitions, mergers, or other reorganizations; and eliminating outsourcing and contract labour.