9 March, 2010The strike at Vale in Canada continues after mediated talks broke down on March 7, despite USW attempts to reach a settlement. IMF and ICEM will again show support at a rally in Sudbury on March 22.
CANADA: Mediated discussions between the United Steelworkers and Vale Inco broke down on Sunday March 7, despite the Union's repeated and unprecedented attempts to reach a settlement.
"Over 11 consecutive days, our bargaining committee presented several new proposals and made genuine, significant compromises on the key issues," said USW District 6 Director Wayne Fraser.
Vale's bargaining intransigence again stood out, after a flicker of hope late last month when the company agreed to sit down with an independent mediator for exploratory talks to end the strike. Those talks began at month's end, but failed on March 7 when mediator Kevin Burkett declared, "I am disappointed to report that agreement is not possible at this time. I have therefore broken off discussions."
The mediation did produce an unprecedented offer by the USW to return to work in Sudbury and Port Colborne, with a three-member binding arbitration panel to hear the unresolved issues. The USW proposed that Burkett chair the arbitration panel, with the union and Vale each selecting the other two panel members. Vale adamantly rejected the proposal.
Now, global trade unions will ramp up strategic plans on behalf of the USW, visiting Sudbury, Canada, in two weeks time to reinforce support to striking nickel miners of the USW. A two-day "Bridging the Gap" manifestation, March 22-23, will bring trade union leaders from the Brazilian mining company's world-wide operations to northern Ontario province.
The unionists, to include representatives from the International Metalworkers' Federation and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, will join the strikers of USW Local 6500 and their families in a march down Sudbury's main street on March 22, with a global strategy forum scheduled the next day. That forum will include plans for "Global Days of Action" against Vale, due to occur April 5-11.
This strike is now likely to surpass the longest mining strike in Canadian history. That occurred from September 1978 to June 1979 - 267 days - between the USW and Vale's predecessor in Sudbury, Inco Mining. The one distinction between this strike and several skirmished between the USW and Inco, however, is that Canadian-based Inco never attempted operate the mines and smelting operations with replacement workers as Vale is now doing.