Vol. 73/No. 33      August 31, 2009

In addition to the strike, Vale Inco has halted mining and refinery operations in Thompson, Manitoba, for maintenance, bringing the company’s nickel production to a standstill across the country.

The heart of Vale Inco’s Canadian operation is here in Sudbury. Workers spoke to the Militant about their determination to stand strong. “If we roll over we lose the union” was the way that Rob Guy put it. Guy has 32 years at Inco.

Vale Inco, based in Brazil, is the world’s second largest mining company. Vale bought Inco, previously a Canadian multinational, in 2006.

Workers say the company has been driving ever since to lower wages and working conditions. Workers on the line pointed out that Vale Inco’s demands around the pension plan targets new workers and would impose second-class status on them.

Company demands also open the door to contracting out work in the mines by non-union workers, resulting in decreased job security, workers said.

They also pointed out that the company’s demands to weaken union representation in the mines and the refineries target the fight for health and safety. Summarizing a very widely held opinion among strikers, Derek Cyr said, “For safety at work you need the union.”

The union explains that reductions in production bonuses—which the union accepted in lieu of a wage increase in the past—and changes in cost-of-living allowance payments mean that wages will be frozen.

This strike is being waged under very difficult conditions. Industrial production continues to decline worldwide. The threat of deflation, under pressure from excess capacity, is looming. The most recent jobless figures in Canada are still showing high unemployment. The unadjusted rate of jobless and involuntary part-time workers was more than 11 percent in June. Many Vale Inco workers were on lay off when they voted to go on strike.

At union rallies and in material publicizing the fight Steelworkers officials have presented a nationalist course, emphasizing that Vale Inco is based in Brazil. A letter from the union seeking support said: “For foreign companies to extract those Canadian resources and reap such substantial profits, but not provide our families … with secure incomes is just not right.”

For about 800 of the Steelworkers in Sudbury, this is their first strike experience. They spoke to the Militant about their resolve to stand with the older workers and defend their union.

About a dozen members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union joined picket lines in Sudbury August 4 with a check for $2,800 and a promise of more to come.

Unions internationally, including from South Africa and Brazil, have expressed their support. Two union representatives attended a conference in Brazil hosted by the Labor Federation of Brazil. The federation supports the strike.

One worker told the Militant: “I’m sure those workers are watching us and they will want what we get.”
 
 
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