Workers vote to strike at Lac’s Bousquet mine

A strike at Lac Minerals’ Bousquet No 1 mine and two associated mills near Malartic, Que. has brought operations to a complete standstill, the company said recently. After rejecting a new 3-year offer, 262 hourly wage employees voted to come out on strike at 8 a.m. Jan 19. The employees are members of Local 4796 of the United Steelworkers of America.

Lac spokesman Frank Armitage wouldn’t reveal the contents of the new offer but he said an existing wage scale averaging $17.25 per hour, is the highest in the region.

Since the last contract expired on Nov 15, the two sides have attempted to reach a new agreement. But when talks broke down at conciliation proceedings on Jan 13 and 14, the union members voted to strike.

Armitage said he didn’t know whether the first-ever strike at Lac’s Bousquet mine will be a long one and there are no immediate plans for a meeting between the company and union representatives.

“We can’t say what the next move will be,” Armitage said.

Since production at Bousquet began in 1979, production has averaged 90,000 oz annually but Lac has blamed difficult ground conditions for a production rate of 65,745 oz in 1986.