Talks aimed at settling Raglan mine strike break down
Glencore says union has ‘withdrawn’ from negotiations; workers took strike action 6 weeks ago
Unionized workers at Raglan mine in Nunavik have been on strike since late May. (File photo)
Talks aimed at settling a six-week strike at Nunavik’s Raglan mine appear to have broken down, with mine owner Glencore saying Friday that the United Steelworkers union has “withdrawn from negotiations.”
Most work at the mine stopped May 27 when about 630 employees, members of the Steelworkers local 9449, took strike action. The company and union had been attempting to negotiate a new contract since late March.
Raglan Mine, which is located in the northeast region of the Ungava Peninsula, is Quebec’s biggest nickel producer, extracting 1.5 million tonnes of ore a year. The mine produces about 40,000 tonnes of nickel-in-concentrate per year, and smaller amounts of copper and cobalt.
The mine is Nunavik’s largest employer, with 1,200 rotational employees.
In a news release Friday, the company said it had hoped to reach an agreement by July 10. The release doesn’t explain the significance of that date.
“We are disappointed that the union is not willing to give the negotiation process a chance, while we were ready to pursue meaningful discussions,” said Raglan Mine vice-president Pierre Barrette, in the release.
A spokesperson for the Steelworkers union was not immediately available for comment Friday morning.
Previously, the union has said it wants to negotiate improved working conditions and higher pay for its members.
I am once again making a comment and hopefully this time it will not be deleted by NN for honest and truthfully comments. I use to be employed at this Nickle mine. I have seen and witnessed Inuit, some not all, being discriminated against and when we made verbal complaints to the management of Raglan Mine, nothing was done about how Racist most francophone people were towards the Inuit. Some of the francophone workers would speak in french making derogatory remarks about the Inuit and without their knowledge most Inuit do understand and speak french. When these Racist complaints were made to the management of Raglan Mine, there were some of us (including myself) that were asked to leave and not return back to the mine because we were making false accusations of Racism towards the francophone emplyees. Today, there is still Racism shown towards the Inuit from the francophone employees and those in management does not really care how this effects the Inuit and other Inuit living in the 14 Nunavik communities. Everything is hush hush at the mine site. Now that the strike is still happening at the mine, the francophone employees now feel how they treated the Inuit. So Sad.
Racism will always exist. Some are so brain washed that they cannot change. You can try and educate them. But, alas they will not change.