A provincial mediator ordered that Vale and union leaders at its Sudbury mining operations must resume talks aimed at ending a 10 month strike.
Mr Kevin Whitaker chair of Ontario Labour Relations Board said in a decision following a hearing on the status of nine Vale employees fired during the strike that "The board directs the parties to return to the bargaining table to recommence negotiations."
The strike began on July 13th 2009, after the company and union broke off talks over disagreements over pensions, a worker bonus tied to the price of nickel, and contract language covering seniority rights and the use of outside workers.
The walkout, along with a separate strike at Vale's Voisey's Bay nickel mine in eastern Canada, has affected about 10% of global nickel output, although Vale has resumed partial production during the strike using non union employees and third party contractors.
The United Steelworkers Union, which filed a bad faith complaint against the company, had hoped to get an expedited decision on whether the nine workers could seek arbitration to get their jobs back. In the ruling, Mr Whitaker said that matter could wait until after the two sides resolve other issues in the strike.
The two sides briefly resumed talks last month under the direction of a provincial mediator, but those talks broke down in early May, prompting protests in Sudbury.
Mr Cory McPhee spokesman of Vale said that no talks were currently scheduled. He added that "When talks do resume, it is our expectation that all unresolved issues will be discussed."
Separately, Mr McPhee said that the company is expected to soon restart the company's Copper Cliff smelter in Sudbury, which was shut down after part of a 160 foot chimney collapsed just over a week ago.
He said that a 60 foot extension of the chimney toppled over in strong winds. He said damage to the segment had been noted well before the collapse, and the area was cleared when it fell. He added that "They hope to be back in operation shortly."
(Sourced from www.reuters.com)
