Some 630 workers at the Raglan mine in Nunavik rejected the employer’s offers by 76.7% on Wednesday and decided to continue the strike started on May 27.
The multinational Glenecore, owner of the mine, had submitted its offers to the Steelworkers’ union on July 10 in the presence of a conciliator.
If the dispute concerns wages, holidays and the use of subcontractors, the strikers above all demand respect from the Anglo-Swiss multinational. To do this, they intend to intensify the mobilization over the next few days.
To plead its case, the union affiliated with the FTQ cites a decision of the Administrative Labor Tribunal which ruled in June that the company had “failed in its obligation to negotiate diligently and in good faith”.
“Let the message of our members ring out all the way to head office: we are not afraid, we will not be intimidated and we will remain standing until a negotiated agreement is obtained”, exclaimed the representative. union, Harold Arseneault.
“We are asking the employer party to respect its workers and labor laws by quickly committing to return to the bargaining table,” said Éric Savard, president of local section 9449 of the Steelworkers union.
The employer said it was disappointed with the turn of events, deploring the rejection of the offer which aims to end the labor dispute. “We welcome the result of the vote with disappointment,” reacted Pierre Barrette, vice-president of Mine Raglan.
“The objective behind this new outstretched hand was to provide our employees with some of the best working conditions in the mining industry, and to restart our activities as quickly as possible for the benefit of all, including our Nunavik partners,” he added.