Horne strike hits CCR refinery (October 23, 2002)

With an ongoing, four-month-long strike cutting into production at the Horne copper smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Noranda (NRD-T) plans to cut staff at its CCR refinery in Montreal by about 15%.

The strike-bound Horne smelter normally fills about two-thirds of the anode requirements at the 330,000-tonne-per-year CCR refinery. Compounding supply problems is the permanent closure of the company’s Gasp copper smelting operation late last year.

Noranda said the reductions, 85 permanent and 15 temporary positions, would come via layoffs and an early retirement program. In the end, the operation will be staffed by about 550.

Both the CCR and Horne operations suffered three-week shutdowns earlier this summer thanks to dwindling supply of copper anodes.

On June 18, 510 unionized employees walked off the job at Horne after their complaints about subcontracting went unheard. Three days later, Noranda declared force majeure (since lifted) and has since run the smelter at less than half normal operating levels.

Both sides of the Horne dispute recently agreed to get back to the bargaining table in Montreal. They had last met in June after the contract for the members of Le Syndicate des Travailleurs de la Mine Noranda expired in February.

The last strike at the Horne smelter, in 1986, lasted three months.

Horne has capacity to produce 220,000 tonnes of copper anodes per year. In 2001, the smelter produced 188,000 tonnes; the CCR refinery produced 323,000 tonnes of refined copper anodes.