Members of the United Steelworkers of America Local 9422 ratified a 6-year collective agreement whereby workers will receive a minimum 16% wage increase over the life of the agreement, with an immediate 6% raise upon ratification. An additional 6% in wages can be obtained through interest arbitration during the last 36 months of the agreement. The company says there are also improvements to seniority designation, dental plans, layoff terms and recall rights.
The deal lays the groundwork for a major expansion program at Lac des les (T.N.M., Jan. 17-23/00). The US$127-million plan calls for construction of a concentrator and mine complex, which would allow daily production to soar to 15,000 tonnes from the current 2,400 tonnes.
The expanded operation is expected to produce, annually over an 11-year mine life, about 248,900 oz. palladium, 24,200 oz. platinum and 19,100 oz. gold, as well as copper, nickel and cobalt.
In 1999, the mine produced: 64,441 oz. palladium (compared with 84,228 oz. in 1998); 4,744 oz. platinum (5,535 oz.); 4,888 oz. gold (5,079 oz.); 1.4 million lbs. copper (1.2 million lbs.); and 973,817 lbs. nickel (914,030 lbs.).
About 1.4 million tons of ore were mined last year, of which 985,651 tons were milled. Low-grade ore was stockpiled.
The company attributes the lower production figures in 1999 to the mining of lower-grade breccia ore.
Reserves at Lac des les stand at 74 million tonnes grading 1.64 grams palladium, 0.18 gram platinum and 0.14 gram gold.
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