(Montreal) The employees of the Raglan mine, members of the United Steelworkers, affiliated with the FTQ, supported the tentative agreement reached last month during a voting process that ended Thursday.
Posted yesterday at 9:06 p.m.
Production and maintenance employees have ratified their new contract by a rate of 60.7%, the United Steelworkers said in a press release.
The new five-year collective agreement provides wage increases of 6.8% the first year, 3.5% for the following two years and 3% for each of the last two years.
In addition, the flight day to the mine, which is located in Nunavik, will now be remunerated with a lump sum equivalent to six hours of work. This decision resolves a grievance dating back three years, with retroactivity, says the union.
The use of subcontracting, which was one of the challenges of the negotiations, will now benefit from a mechanism ensuring greater transparency. About twenty positions usually filled by subcontractors will now be filled by unionized workers, it says.
Among other additions, the union notes an improvement in group insurance and short-term health insurance benefits. A fourth week of vacation will be offered after 16 years of service.
The mine, which mines nickel in northern Quebec, operates by commuting for its 630 workers.
The latter had voted last spring with 97.5% in favor of a strike, which was called on May 27.
“We went on strike for the first time and the members stood up. This is now part of the options we have to gain respect and obtain better working conditions, ”said the president of the local section 9449 of the United Steelworkers, Éric Savard, in a press release.
The normal resumption of activities and the return of unionized employees to the mine site are scheduled for September 12, said the employer, the multinational Glencore.
“We welcome the ratification of this new collective agreement. We are ready to turn the page on the last few months in order to work together to achieve our objectives, while continuing to prioritize everyone’s safety,” said Pierre Barrette, vice-president of Raglan Mine, in a press release. .
Mr. Barrette added that the mine has been working for 25 years together with its Inuit teams and partners and hopes that the resumption of operations marks the beginning of the next 25 years.