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Canadian_Nickle
Penny Hoarding Member
Canada
938 Posts |
 Posted - 07/17/2006 : 14:01:18
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July 17 (Reuters) - Labour disputes and the possibility of further unrest as workers continue to seek a slice of company profits at a time of strong prices have kept base metals markets nervous on critically tight supply for some.
Following is a rundown of major industry disputes or possible flashpoints, as well as recent settlements:
- On July 16, miners at the Cananea copper mine in Mexico decided to end a six-week strike, the miners' union said. The union said Grupo Mexico (GMEXICOB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research) had agreed to drop all legal charges against striking workers at the mine, partially pay lost wages and respect a productivity bonus.
- On July 15, Grupo Mexico said it had fired all workers at its La Caridad copper mine to try to break a strike, which began in March.
- On July 14, union workers involved in a slowdown, which began eight days earlier, at Chile's Escondida copper mine said they would further slow work if the mine owner does not improve its new contract offer. A union official said a lack of progress in talks with management meant a strike vote looked more likely. BHP Billiton (BLT.L: Quote, Profile, Research) (BHP.AX: Quote, Profile, Research) controls the mine.
- On July 14, workers at Century Aluminum Co.'s (CENX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) smelter in Ravenswood, West Virginia, will vote in about two weeks on the firm's latest contract offer, union and company officials said. Existing contract to be extended day-by day.
- On July 13, labour talks said to have started at the Antamina copper-zinc mine in Peru. Mine official said he was not sure a new agreement would be reached before the current contract expires on July 24.
- On the same day, Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), majority-owned by Vedanta Resources (VED.L: Quote, Profile, Research) has awarded its employees a 20 percent pay rise to avert a repeat of last year's strike, a union leader said. Chinese-owned Chambishi Mining Plc, had separately awarded its workers a 21 percent pay rise.
- On the same day, union at Ormet Corp's Hannibal, Ohio aluminium smelter said workers were to vote July 16 on whether or not to accept the latest labour contract offered by the firm and end a 19-month-long strike.
Separately, the local union president for Ormet's Burnside alumina refinery said 195 hourly workers voted overwhelmingly on Monday to ratify a new three-year labour contract that expires December 31, 2009.
- On the same day, Grupo Mexico said it would close strike-plagued La Caridad copper mine within next few weeks if talks with workers fail and depending on government approval.
- On July 4, Falconbridge Ltd. (FAL.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) said labour talks at its Nikkelverk copper-nickel refinery in Norway would resume in mid-August after a summer break. Last talks held June 22. Previous contract expired May 31. Plant will change ownership if Inco Ltd.'s (N.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) offer to buy Falconbridge is successful.
- On July 3, officials said Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines' (KCM) to hold talks on Thursday with its unions, with both sides increasingly confident they can avert a repeat of a 2005 strike that paralysed operations.
- On June 30, Ormet Corp. said it had reached a tentative labour agreement with the United Steelworkers union on all outstanding issues involving the firm's U.S. facilities, including the Hannibal, Ohio aluminium reduction plant and Burnside, Louisiana alumina refinery.
- On June 30, Polish copper group KGHM (KGHM.WA: Quote, Profile, Research) agreed to pay 70 million zlotys ($22.01 million) in extra bonuses to workers after its trade unions threatened strike action.
- On June 26, Mexican mine, telephone and university workers postponed a threatened 24-hour strike scheduled before the presidential election. The action, called to pressure government to end a long-running mining dispute, now to take place after the elections.
- On June 23, United Steelworkers Union members ratifed a master labour agreement reached with Alcoa Inc. (AA.N: Quote, Profile, Research), earlier that month. The contract covers 9,000 workers at 15 U.S. facilities owned by Alcoa.
- On June 21, unionised workers at Falconbridge Ltd.'s Brunswick lead smelter voted in favour of a new five-year contract. Deal ratified even though the union's negotiating team refused to recommend its acceptance.
- On June 15, Grupo Mexico (GMEXICOB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research) said it might be able to resolve lengthy strikes at its main Mexican copper mines through talks aided by government mediators. Workers at the firm's Cananea and La Caridad mines are on strike in support of an ousted union boss.
Strike at La Caridad began late March, while Cananea workers walked out on June 1 to show their support. Company said June 9 it had started proceedings to close La Caridad, but that this could be reversed if a resolution to the strikes was reached.
- On May 31, union members at Inco Ltd.'s nickel-copper operations in Sudbury, Ontario ratified a new three-year labour contract after reaching a tentative deal on Monday.
- On May 24, unionised workers at Falconbridge Ltd.'s Raglan nickel-copper mine voted in favour of a new five-year collective agreement.
- On the same day, union workers at Grupo Mexico's giant Cananea copper mine shut out some subcontract labourers. Workers said they would take part in short stoppages planned by the union for the end of the month.
- On May 23, Century Aluminum said union workers at its 240,000 tonnes tpy Hawesville smelter in Kentucky had ratified a four-year contract.
- On May 21, workers on the picket line at Grupo Mexico's La Caridad copper mine vowed to resist pressure to end a two-month strike. The walkout at the mine has been declared illegal by the Labor Ministry. The country's mining industry was thrown into chaos earlier this year after 65 men died in a mining accident that highlighted a union split and was a catalyst for a series of protests and strikes.
- On May 19, Falconbridge Ltd. said union members at its Brunswick lead-zinc mine in Canada had voted in favour of a new collective agreeement.
- On May 17, thousands of union workers at BHP Billiton's Escondida copper mine in Chile were said to be preparing for tough contract talks in June.
- On May 15, Grupo Mexico cancelled plans to mothball its San Martin copper, zinc and silver mine after striking workers agreed to return to work.
- On May 6, union workers at Chile's Lomas Bayas copper mine, owned by Falconbridge, voted to accept a new contract offer and called off a planned strike.
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mines/labour unions dispute roundup
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