Vale asked to settle Labrador strike

A tentative deal between Vale and workers in Ontario will hopefully spark a similar settlement at the Voisey's Bay mine in northern Labrador, a union official said.

Vale on Sunday announced it had reached a tentative five-year contract with miners and other employees in Sudbury and Port Colborne.

About 3,000 workers in Ontario launched a strike in mid-July.

About 200 Voisey's Bay mine staff in Labrador walked off the job over similar concerns in early August.

Wayne Fraser, a national representative with the United Steelworkers union, said he hopes Vale — which was known as Vale Inco until May — will see the sense of settling the Labrador strike.

Talks to resolve the Labrador strike have been held sporadically this year, including some involving a conciliator. A new round talks opened in May.

Vale has said it intends to ramp up production at Voisey's Bay, one of the largest nickel finds in the world, and will use replacement workers to do that.  

Monday afternoon, Vale spokesman Bob Carter said talks between the company and the workers at Voisey's Bay will resume within the next two weeks.

He said the negotiations concern only those directly employed by the company and that contractors will be dealt with in separate negotiations.

Carter said the company is working with a conciliator to set a specific date to begin talks.