Williams tells Vale, union to settle strike
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams said Friday he will appoint an industrial inquiry to resolve the 14-month strike at Voisey's Bay if the union and mine owner cannot do it within two weeks.
"Enough is enough, from my perspective," Williams said Friday, explaining why he issued an ultimatum of sorts to Brazil-based Vale and the United Steelworkers union to resolve a strike involving about 200 workers at the Voisey's Bay nickel mine in northern Labrador.
Talks between the two sides broke off earlier this week, after an independent mediator appointed by the government was unable to bridge the gap. Vale and the Steelworkers remain far apart in the dispute, which has focused on wages and benefits. The often-acrimonious strike started in August 2009.
"This is a major strike and it's affecting a lot of communities, a lot of people's lives, and it needs to get resolved," Williams told reporters in St. John's. "That's why I'm basically saying in conjunction with the minister, 'Look you've got 14 days, and if you don't, we're going to call an inquiry.' "
Risk of embarrassment
Government rules empower an industrial inquiry commission to "maintain and secure industrial peace." While an industrial inquiry cannot force a collective agreement, the fact that its findings will be made public could be a formidable threat — and a possible source of embarrassment — to either side.
"An inquiry is a disclosure process and of course there could be some risk to the company, some risk to the union," Williams said.
"The risk is any time there's an inquiry, it's what's the reason, what's the motivation here? Why aren't they settling? Does the company have some reason it doesn't want to settle? Why did it settle in Sudbury and not settle in Newfoundland and Labrador?" said Williams, referring to Vale's ability to settle a separate but similarly long-running strike in Ontario this summer.
"If the union is getting some of the wage demands that it wants but not getting everything that it wants, is there some reason why the union is not settling? Is it personalities?"
Williams also said he is also willing to go further, including enacting legislation, to end the strike.