Falconbridge has shutdown its Kidd Creek smelter and refinery in Timmins, Ont., following a breakdown in union negotiations that prompted the plant’s 750 workers to walk off the job.
Workers at the base metal plant went on strike on the morning of July 9 after a 24-hour bargaining session failed to address issues of job security and seniority, according to the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union. The union also says that Falconbridge is seeking to reduce sick pay.
The company says it offered employees a 3-year contract that provided improved medical, dental and life insurance benefits, as well as a 2% pay hike. Falconbridge also said it offered early retirement packages to circumvent potential layoffs to meet worker reduction targets.
Workers at the plant joined the CAW last year. The strike follows five months of negotiations.
Kidd Creek’s metalurgical division is 30 km southeast of the mine and produces, on a yearly basis, 130,000 tonnes of blister copper, 117,000 tonnes of copper cathode and 140,000 tonnes of zinc.
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