EXCLUSIVE:
Tories 'risk pushing steel industry over the edge with Port Talbot deal'

The leader of the sector's biggest trade union has raised fears for its future following

 the controversial agreement over the plant, which will lead to 3,000 job cuts

Plans to overhaul production at Port Talbot will trigger 3,000 job cuts

Ben Glaze

Deputy Political Editor

MIRROR
 22 OCT 2023

Tory ministers risk pushing Britain’s steel industry “over the edge” as it stands “at the brink”, a union leader warned today.

Writing for the Mirror, Community steelworkers’ union general secretary Roy Rickhuss hit out at a £1.25billion deal struck between the Government and Tata, which owns the UK’s biggest steel plant at Port Talbot, South Wales. The agreement to help the firm switch from traditional coal-fired blast furnaces to electric arc systems will cost taxpayers £500million and trigger 3,000 job losses.

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies hosted the first meeting of the Tata Steel-Port Talbot Transition Board at the site on Thursday. It aims to “support the people, businesses and communities affected by the proposed transition to low-CO2 steelmaking”, as the town and surrounding communities brace for the devastating jobs blow.

Mr Davies said: “We know that there are challenges ahead but I’m clear that we have the right people around the table who will all be doing their absolute best to facilitate the transition to greener steel and the impact that has on the community.” But in his article, Mr Rickhuss writes: “However, you look at it, the deal Tory ministers have struck with Tata is a bad one - disastrous for steelworkers and damaging for our country. Moving Port Talbot to an electric-arc furnace model would result in the potential loss of thousands of jobs on site and at other steel plants across the country.”

Closing the blast furnaces will slash Tata’s carbon emissions and boost the Government’s fight to hit net-zero by 2050. But campaigners want a mix of power at the plant to help save jobs.

Labour unveiled a £3bn plan to revolutionise the steel industry at its conference two years ago, including moving to less polluting manufacturing. Since then, thousands of job cuts have been announced and economic growth has stalled.

Mr Rickhuss warns: “After 13 years of inaction and neglect, this Conservative Government have less than 12 months left in office. They should use their remaining time to back our steel industry and support a just transition for Britain’s steelworkers - or they will be remembered in history as the Government that pushed us over the edge when we stood at the brink. Ultimately, we need a robust industrial strategy with steel at its heart – something only Keir Starmer and Labour will deliver.”

Steelworker Gary Keogh, 59, who has worked at Port Talbot for 37 years, told the Mirror: “Electric arc is not a silver bullet. We don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket and get caught up in something that could make it too late for the industry, because once it’s gone it’s gone. We welcome investment, of course we do, but I do not welcome annihilation of the British steelworkers.”

Local MP Stephen Kinnock, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Steel, said: “The Tata Steel-UK Government decarbonisation deal is unacceptable because it focuses narrowly on the electric arc furnace model, whereas it should also be ensuring that we continue to produce virgin steel in Port Talbot through low carbon technologies such as direct reduced iron. The EAF-only strategy will lead to far more job losses than is necessary, so I fully support Community and the other steel unions as they seek to persuade Tata to think again.”

Shadow Business Minister Sarah Jones said Labour “has a plan for steel, we want to invest in steel”. She added: “We want to work with the industry and work with unions to work out how we get high-paid, good-skilled jobs and the steel of the future that we need for this country.” Vowing to “see how we can make the steel industry core to everything we are doing going forward”, she added: “The steel industry is so important for our country.”

The Mirror has been campaigning to Save Our Steel since 2015.
Community steelworkers’ union general secretary Roy Rickhuss writes for the Mirror

However you look at it, the deal Tory ministers have struck with Tata is a bad one - disastrous for steelworkers and damaging for our country.

Moving Port Talbot to an electric-arc furnace (EAF) model would result in the potential loss of thousands of jobs on site and at other steel plants across the country. It’s also hugely short-sighted - an EAF-only future would see the UK importing primary steel; our own industry would no longer be self-sufficient and carbon emissions would be offshored to heavy polluters overseas.

Ploughing ahead with EAF and removing blast furnaces – without considering other sustainable direct reduced iron and hydrogen options – would be an irresponsible and, potentially, irreversible, gamble. As a union, we’ve long called on the Government to help our steel sector to go green, following the example of other administrations in Europe and the US which have already taken far-ranging action.

M&A in the Labour Movement

M&A is Mergers and Acquisitions. Today this is the case between three of the worlds largest unions. This M&A in labour reflects the growing oligopolies in the Steel industry as I wrote here last year; Mittal Plays Monopoly

Also see: Time For A Canadian Steel Workers Union

And as I wrote in my paper Global Labour in the Age of Empire

Let us look at the impact of capitalism on the union movement. Unions are a business, they look at gaining large numbers of members in order to bargain with the bosses. To effectively bargain they need a steady work force, in many cases their disconnect from their members is this servicing model, the membership see a bureaucracy of union reps and leaders, who bargain for them, who service them, who do not challenge capitalism, but maintain business as usual. .

I will not go into examples of specific unions, but overall, their purpose is to maintain themselves in power, not to mobilize for workers power. As a result union membership in North America is on a serious decline. Where unions have spent their energy in the past decade has not been organizing the unorganized, or the poorest workers, or even the growing part time or contracted out workers, but in raiding each other. That’s right, gangsterism has replaced revolutionary struggle. Competing unions want each other’s membership, or as the old industries collapse the unions move into non traditional areas, such as the public sector to compete with existing public sector unions for a decreasing membership base.

In a real tribute to Wall Street, a number of unions have adopted the methods of big business; merger and acquisitions. The Brotherhood of Railway workers is talking about merging with the Teamsters. Talks are under way for Steel and other Metal workers unions to merge with Coal and Transportation unions, nationally and internationally.

Unlike the One Big Union of the last century, that believed all working people, regardless of their jobs, should be in a union to overthrow capitalism, these mergers will create new capitalist enterprises that guarantee the union bosses their jobs, in a declining growth market.

---

And while some might consider my assessment harsh let us not forget that the General Transportation Workers Union in the UK sold out the Mersey Side Dockworkers ten years ago. They surrendered the battle against globalization without firing a shot. Today they join with the Steelworkers and Amicus to become the negotiators of a gentler kinder globalization of capitalism. As I predicted; Will Canadian Labour Accept Free Trade?

Steelworkers and Amicus take first steps towards global super-union

    Merger exploration group to create 3.4 million member Trans-Atlantic
union

OTTAWA, April 18 /CNW/ - The United Steelworkers (USW), together with
Amicus and the Transportation & General Workers Union (T&GWU) of the United
Kingdom, today announced a formal process to prepare the ground for the
creation of the first Trans-Atlantic trade union.
At a ceremony held in Ottawa at the USW's Canadian National Policy
Congress, representatives of the three unions signed an accord to set up a
merger exploration committee which will be tasked with laying down a
foundation for a legal merger within one year.
The new union would represent more than 3.4 million members in the US,
Canada, UK and Ireland. It would be the world's biggest union and would be
expected to attract other union organizations throughout the world into
membership.
During the exploration process, the unions will engage in coordinated
campaigning and common approaches to collective bargaining with multinational
companies.
This agreement follows a strategic alliance signed between Amicus and the
USW two years ago. Amicus and the T&GWU will join together as one union with
two million members after May 1, 2007. The new union, based in London, will be
called "Unite".
Statements were issued after a press call and signing of the 'Ottawa
Accord' by USW President Leo W. Gerard and Derek Simpson, General Secretary
for Amicus, as follows:

Amicus, General Secretary, Derek Simpson said,

"One of the main reasons for the merger between Amicus and the T&GWU was
our desire to create an international trade union that would be able to deal
with multinational companies on an equal footing. Coming as it does hot on the
heels of our mergers, today's announcement demonstrates the resonance that the
idea of a global super union has. "Multinational companies are pushing down
wages and conditions for workers the world over by playing one national
workforce off against another. The only beneficiaries of globalization are the
exploiters of working people and the only way working people can resist this
is to band together.
"I hope today's announcements marks the beginning of the creation of a
formidable international trade union organization."

USW International President Leo W. Gerard said,

"Workers in this new century need a trans-Atlantic union to tame the
exploitation of global corporations, international banks and world trade
organizations.
"The time for global unionism has arrived. We need cross-border
organizing strategies to protect workers against the mobility of capital that
knows no borders. Workers want their unions to develop labor contracts that
encompass global employers. We must meet the challenge and defend human rights
standards for all.
"USW members in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean Basin know the
benefits of international unionism and are ready to commit support to today's
announcement for exploring the first trans-Atlantic union for workers in two
continents."

T&GWU General Secretary, Tony Woodley, said:

"This is an historic step for global trade unionism, and will help
working people to look even the biggest employer in the eye. Closer working
and agreement with North American trade unionists forms a crucial part of our
global organizing agenda, designed to stop bosses playing off workers in one
country against those in another."

Ken Neumann, USW National Director for Canada, said the document signed
at the National Policy Conference was a historic moment for the 600 delegates
representing USW members across Canada.
"It is important for our members to be able to participate in the signing
of a document that will affect their future as workers in a global economy.
"Our union has never been satisfied with limiting our reach exclusively
to Canada. And we are more than an international union. We are a global
network of workers and their organizations."

The 'Ottawa Accord' signed by the three unions was titled: "Exploring a
Global Union for the 21st Century."

The Accord stated: "Amicus-T&G and the USW firmly believe that over the
coming years only through greater international solidarity and cooperation can
we as a trade union movement, effectively represent the interests of our
members against the threats posed by global capital."

It committed the North American and UK unions to:
<<    -   Creation of a Merger Exploration Committee of five principals from        each union to study the legal framework, constitutions, rules and        structures of the current unions during the next 12 months to suggest       a framework for a formal merger.   -  A regular exchange between senior officers to take place every        quarter to monitor and develop areas of joint work and to find ways        of integrating common programs to enhance the understanding and        culture of the unions.  -   Provide materials and financial resources for joint international       solidarity projects that might include support of Columbia's trade       union movement in the face of continued attacks on labour and human       rights; capacity building projects with partner unions in Africa;        solidarity work with the ship breakers of India and joint exploration        of transnational corporations in China.   -   Development of common approaches to collective bargaining in sectors        and multinational companies where our joint membership work.    -   Engage in regular participation in each union's educational and       political conferences and activities.    >>

The full 'Ottawa Accord' signed by the USW, Amicus and the T&GWU, plus
details of the announcement creating a formal Merger Exploration Committee are
available by accessing www.usw.org or www.amicustheunion.org.






                  
 United Steelworkers and Independent Steelworkers Unions Merge             
                     
In the Bible, Jeremiah 29, verse 11 offers a message of optimism: “For I
know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Members of the former Independent Steelworkers Union say the message reflects
how they feel now that they are members of the United Steelworkers.
Leaders from the unions met Friday in Pittsburgh to sign a merger agreement.
The ISU and its 1,150 members at Arcelor-Mittal’s Weirton, W.Va., mill
 are now USW Local 2911, named for the Bible verse.
“When you read it, it’s hope for the future,” said Mark Glyptis,
former president of the 56-year-old ISU and now president of the new
USW local. “We certainly believe this gives (our members) hope.”
Glyptis said he and his members were elated about the merger,
approved 913-89 by ISU members last month. It means workers can speak
with one voice in bargaining with Mittal, the world’s largest steel
company.
“It’s a historic day,” said USW International President Leo W.
Gerard, who noted the Weirton union’s strong record of battling for its
members and the industry. “We’re proud of the history, the
tenaciousness, the respect that people have for the ISU.”
Glyptis said members will benefit from greater financial, legal,
mobilizing and lobbying strength, a message echoed by USW District 1
Director Dave McCall.
Joining forces “gives us more power, more energy,” McCall said.
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, spoke to
the gathering by telephone from Washington, D.C., saying he believes
the merger is good news for Weirton workers.
“They’re joining a very strong force in the labor movement,”
 Rockefeller said, promising his support.
“If I’m not in a fight for people producing steel, I feel like I’m
neglecting life _ I’m part of you, you’re part of me,” he said to loud
applause. 
The decision to merge the ISU with the larger USW followed profound
changes in the management of Weirton, which has gone from an
employee-owned corporation to part of Arcelor-Mittal.
Gerard and Glyptis vowed to work hard on several issues, including
having a say in the sale of Arcelor Mittal’s Sparrows Point, Md., plant
where the USW represents some 2,100 production workers.
The ISU and the USW have worked together on the Stand Up for Steel Campaign,
retiree health care and pension issues.
Hoisting their joined hands in the air after signing the merger
agreement, Gerard and Glyptis promised to build on those efforts.
“We’re going to fight together,” Gerard said.
“Absolutely,” Glyptis said. “And we’re going to win.”
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Leo Gerard, Steelworkers, Untied Steelworkers Union, Amicus, 
General Transportation Workers Union, Mittal, Mergers, Canada, UK, US, 
Free Trade, job cuts, layoffs,

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Monopoly Capitalism

Raglan Mine makes new offer to striking employees

United Steelworkers withdrew from negotiations last week; strike started around the end of May

Raglan Mine has made a new offer to its unionized employees. (File photo)

By  Jeff Pelletier

BUSINESS  JUL 11, 2022 –

Raglan Mine has presented a new offer to its unionized employees, days after the United Steelworkers withdrew from negotiations.

The new offer was put forward July 10, according to a news release from Glencore Group, Raglan Mine’s parent company.

The release does not say what is in the offer, but says it “allows Raglan Mine employees to obtain the best working conditions in the industry.”

“We sincerely hope that this offer can put an end to the labour dispute as quickly as possible,” said Pierre Barrette, vice-president of Raglan Mine, in the release.

Cimon Guy, a union representative, said the union is looking at the offer.

“Our negotiations committee will meet tomorrow to go over it in detail and decide our course of action following that,” Guy said in an email.

Raglan Mine produces mostly nickel, as well as small amounts of copper and cobalt. Its 630 unionized workers have been on strike since the end of May after the company and the union failed to reach a new collective agreement.

A mediator was appointed by the Quebec government to meet with both sides and broker a deal, but those meetings have not been successful.

Guy has said the union’s main demands involve better working and living conditions on site. Raglan has responded by saying it maintains some of the industry’s highest safety standards and salaries, while promoting a positive work culture at the mine.

Production at Raglan Mine, which is Nunavik’s largest employer, was halted after the strike was called, and all union employees were flown back to their home communities. Some production has since resumed.

 Strike by 630 workers at Glencore's Raglan Mine in northern Quebec enters second month

Frédéric Charlebois

28 June 2022

WSWS.ORG

Around 630 workers—members of the United Steelworkers (USW)—at the Raglan Mine in northern Quebec, Canada, have been engaged in an indefinite strike since May 27, after voting by a massive 97.5 percent to walk off the job. Faced with rampant inflation and the company’s indifference to the plight of its workers, the strikers are determined to fight against subcontracting and attacks on their working and living conditions.

Raglan miners on strike (Photo: IndustriALL union)

Glencore Group, Raglan’s owner, responded to the strike by announcing the suspension of its mining operations and the return of workers to their respective home regions. On Friday, June 17, it resumed some operations using subcontractors. “We are very concerned, to say the least, about the type of work being done at the mine and by whom,” said a miner who is a member of the union negotiating team. One day earlier, around 80 strikers picketed the Rouyn-Noranda airport in southwestern Quebec, where miners fly in and out of the Raglan facility.

The Raglan Mine is located in the remote northern region of Nunavik, on the Ungava Peninsula, 1800 km north of Montreal. Located between the villages of Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq, the mine relies on local Inuit communities to make up 20 percent of its workforce. As with many natural resource operations in the region, the Raglan Mine plays a key role in the local economy, with a significant portion of local residents involved in one way or another in the mine’s operations.

In spite of its name, the Raglan Mine is in fact a mining complex composed of four underground mines. While the mine primarily processes nickel, workers also extract other lucrative precious metals. In 2020, miners extracted nearly 40,000 tons of nickel, 9,000 tons of copper and more than 800 tons of cobalt. This large-scale output continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as the government gave the mining industry the green light to continue operations and expose miners to the lethal coronavirus.

According to an estimate published by the USW, based on the company’s production data, miners extracted natural resources worth US$586 million in 2020. Considering that the price of nickel has more than doubled since 2020, and that the price of other metals has also risen significantly, revenues in 2022 could exceed $1 billion.

Despite the huge profits made at the operation, Glencore is denying its workers any genuine improvement in their conditions. Instead, the international conglomerate is intensifying its attacks on their jobs and working conditions.

A blatant example of management’s ruthless attacks on workers was the dismissal in March 2021 of unionized security workers at the Raglan Mine, after they rejected an offer from the company to renew their collective agreement. In a ruling issued on June 15, the Quebec Administrative Labour Tribunal condemned this action, which it determined was motivated by a desire to send “a clear message from the company to the other units (of unionized workers) that will soon be negotiating.”

As is the case for the vast majority of workers in the mining industry, Raglan’s workers live and work under harsh conditions. In addition to the “fly-in fly-out” procedure and the distance from their families, the workers labour 11 hours a day for 21 days in a row, followed by 14 days off.

Under these conditions and with inflation eating away at what little financial leeway families have left, the workers are determined to fight for their interests. They are demanding better wages, decent working conditions and an improved vacation plan. They also oppose Glencore’s increased use of subcontracting.

In addition to lower wages and fewer benefits, the use of subcontractors has increased so much in recent years that nearly half of the mine’s 1,200 employees work for a third party. This practice allows the multinational to save large sums of money, while all workers at the mine complex pay for this through stepped-up internal competition.

The company unquestionably has the financial means to meet the workers’ modest demands. Following its merger with Xstrata in 2013, the Glencore Group is one of the largest natural resource companies in the world.

Active in 35 countries, the company operates around 150 mining, metals and oil production facilities. Glencore is the largest nickel producer in Quebec and the fourth largest in the world. The company is headed by Ivan Glasenberg, Australia’s ninth richest man, who has a personal fortune of $12.2 billion.

While they face a multinational corporation determined to cut production costs to increase profits, the 630 striking workers also confront the union bureaucracy of the USW, which is affiliated with the Quebec Federation of Labour (QFL). The USW is working tirelessly to keep the strikers isolated, as shown by its announcement of just four one-time picket lines over two weeks, with Rouyn-Noranda being the last on the list.

The only small gesture of solidarity has come from USW Local 6586 at the ArcelorMittal plant in Contrecoeur northeast of Montreal, which is providing limited financial assistance of $1,100 per week. Yet the USW boasts that it is the largest private sector union in Quebec, with 60,000 members across a range of economic sectors. Beyond Quebec’s provincial borders, the union has over a million active and retired members across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. However, the USW has refused to mobilize the full strength of its membership in support of the Raglan workers, leaving them to fight the global mining giant alone.

The Raglan strikers should draw the lessons from the USW’s betrayal of a massive strike vote by workers at Arconic’s aluminum facilities in Iowa, Tennessee, and Indiana earlier this month. Despite the overwhelming support for a strike among the workers, the USW blocked strike action before announcing a last-minute agreement with the company. The USW then rammed through the concessions-filled deal, which included real-terms pay cuts and the abolition of a performance bonus scheme, amid widespread speculation by workers that the voting process was rigged. “It felt like the union leadership was working for the company,” an Arconic worker told the WSWS.

While the USW felt compelled to call a strike at Raglan, it is feverishly working with the company behind the scenes to impose a similar sellout. USW and Glencore representatives have met on several occasions with a mediator appointed by the Quebec Labour Ministry led by the hard-right Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government. CAQ Premier Francois Legault, a multi-millionaire and former Air Transat CEO, has denounced wage levels in the province’s manufacturing sector as “too high.”

The pro-capitalist union apparatus enjoys a cozy relationship with corporate executives and the state apparatus, which finds expression in the corrupt practices of union bureaucrats. A series of recent court decisions revealed that at least four USW local officials in Canada were involved in embezzlement schemes. According to Nouvelles TVA, the union representatives used their positions to charge the union for personal expenses, issue duplicate bills and even write blank checks to each other. Unable to pay back the money, one of the former bureaucrats had his house seized last week. 

The Raglan workers are not alone in their struggle. Over the past year, a wave of strikes has erupted among mine workers around the world—from the nickel mines of Sudbury in northern Ontario and the coalfields of Alabama to the Atacama Desert of Chile and the jungles of Colombia—demanding substantial wage increases and the restoration of hard-won gains.  

The upsurge of struggles among miners internationally underscores that the conditions exist for Raglan workers to win their strike. To do so, they must break with the nationalist, pro-capitalist USW and create their own rank-and-file committee. The committee should fight for the expansion of the strike by making a powerful appeal to miners across Canada and internationally to wage a common fight against the multi-billion-dollar mining conglomerates. The striking miners should also link up their strike with working people battling the rising cost of living across Canada and around the world for a joint counteroffensive to defend jobs, wages and working conditions.

Glencore Violated Labour Law in Dismissing Workers at Its Raglan Mine, Quebec Tribunal Rules

Author of the article:

Business Wire

Publishing date:

Jun 19, 2022  •  June 19, 2022  •  

Article content

MONTREAL — Resource giant Glencore violated labour laws when it dismissed unionized security officers at its Raglan Mine in March 2021, the Quebec government’s Administrative Labour Tribunal (Tribunal administratif du Travail) has ruled.

The tribunal’s ruling, released June 15, stems from a complaint filed by the United Steelworkers/Syndicat des Métallos, the union representing the security officers. The union argued before the tribunal that Glencore violated labour laws when it dismissed the workers after they rejected the company’s contract offer during negotiations for a collective agreement.

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The ruling concludes that Glencore “obstructed the activities of the union and its members” and “failed in its obligation to bargain diligently and in good faith.”

While the ruling by administrative judge Johanne Despatis does not include an order that Glencore reinstate the dismissed employees, it opens the door to remedies for all those who were affected by the company’s unfair labour practices.

The ruling includes several harsh and scathing criticisms of Glencore’s behaviour. It portrays an employer with constant anti-union preoccupations, “thinly veiled hostility,” “driven by anti-union motives designed to crush the union’s goals” and by a desire to send “a clear message from the company to the other units (of unionized workers) that will soon be in negotiations.”

Those other workers include 630 unionized employees at Raglan Mine, members of Steelworkers Local 9449, who have been on strike since May 27. The strikers are seeking better working conditions and greater respect from Glencore, including a reduction of the company’s extensive use of subcontractors.

“It is appalling that Glencore was preparing for the current negotiations by resorting to unfair and bad faith labour practices, undermining our activities and throwing the families of these security officers out on the street,” said Harold Arseneault, a Steelworkers’ union representative.

“Glencore’s methods are overwhelmingly in bad faith and our members are determined to get the respect they’re seeking,” Arseneault said.

“The recognition of these illegal practices in the tribunal’s decision is extremely important to us,” said Nicolas Marchand, president of the Steelworkers’ bargaining unit that represents the dismissed security officers.

“This ruling exposes what we have experienced over the last eight years, which is not widely known. It demonstrates the legitimacy of our legal case and gives a voice and hope to union members in small bargaining units. It also gives us strength to move forward with the next steps,” Marchand said.

Steelworkers’ union leaders, legal advisors and local union representatives will be meeting over the next few days to assess the options that are open to the union as a result of the labour tribunal’s ruling and to decide on future actions.

The United Steelworkers/Syndicat des Métallos, affiliated with the Quebec Federation of Labour, is the largest private-sector union in Quebec, representing more than 60,000 workers in all economic sectors.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220619005028/en/

Raglan Mine to gradually resume

 mining operations

LAVAL, QC, June 16, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Raglan Mine, a Glencore company, has announced the gradual resumption of certain operations at its mine beginning June 17, in the context of the strike called by the United Steelworkers Union, Local 9449 on May 27.

Operations will be carried out by professional staff and contractors who were already performing similar work prior to the dispute, in accordance with the provisions of the Quebec Labour Code.

Authorized personnel will gradually return to the site to perform tasks related to infrastructure maintenance (roads, water management systems, heating, etc.) as well as increasing the ore reserve at the surface. The concentrator is not currently in operation and the level of mining activity at the site will remain significantly below normal. Ensuring Raglan Mine's health and safety standards are met will remain the priority during this resumption of activities.

"In addition to facilitating the rapid resumption of full operations once a new agreement is signed, this return will also enable us to uphold our agreement with our Inuit partners," said Pierre Barrette, Vice President of Raglan Mine.

Raglan Mine upholds its commitment to Nunavik communities

Signed in 1995, the Raglan Agreement provides for the employment of workers from Nunavik communities and ensures that Inuit directly benefit from the socio-economic advantages of mining operations. The precedence of the Raglan Agreement over any other arrangement is recognized in the collective agreement between the company and the union.

Many of the subcontracting companies that work at Raglan Mine are owned by the Inuit communities of the region. They contribute to the economic and social development of the Far North. Within the context of severe labour shortages, ensuring the retention of employees working for local contractors is a priority for the company.

PIECE WORK

Resuming certain operations at Raglan Mine also makes it possible to preserve a portion of the royalties paid by contractors to the Inuit communities.

1. work paid for according to the amount produced:

   "workers did piecework at home" · "he was paid on a piecework basis"

Impasse in negotiations

Raglan Mine has once again reiterated to the mediator appointed by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity its willingness to return to the negotiating table, without a favourable response from the union.

"We are disappointed that we have come to an impasse in negotiations. We hope to resume discussions quickly in order to reach a mutually beneficial agreement," added Mr. Barrette.

Until a new collective agreement is ratified, Glencore's Integrated Nickel Operations will utilize alternative concentrate supplies to maintain its nickel processing operations at the Sudbury smelter at full capacity.

Raglan Mine presented a first global offer to its employees affiliated with the United Steelworkers Union, Local 9449 in early May. If ratified, it would place Raglan Mine workers among the highest paid in the industry.

www.glencore.ca/raglan
www.glencore.com

Notes for Editors

Raglan Mine

Raglan Mine is part of the Glencore Group, one of the world's largest diversified natural resource companies. Its operations are located on the northern edge of Quebec. Its property stretches 70 kilometres from east to west, with a series of high-grade ore deposits scattered along its length, primarily nickel and copper.

With the establishment of the Raglan Agreement in 1995, a historic agreement with the Inuit communities of Nunavik, Raglan Mine is a pioneer in the industry. Raglan Mine employs more than 1,200 people, 20% of whom are from local Inuit communities. Raglan Mine is also an active participant in the economy of Nunavik and Quebec, contributing $690 million to Quebec's GDP, including $147 million from its suppliers. On average, more than 2,700 jobs are supported annually. Located far from any city, its network of suppliers extends to the four corners of Quebec, with 70% of its goods and services suppliers situated in the province.

Raglan Mine aspires to be a model company in the mining industry by promoting the development of its human resources, demonstrating fairness towards its multicultural workforce, and acting with respect for the communities and the environment. Raglan Mine is committed to a safe, productive, healthy, and stable work environment for years to come.

Glencore

Glencore is one of the world's largest global diversified natural resource companies and a major producer and marketer of more than 60 responsibly-sourced commodities that advance everyday life. The Group's operations comprise around 150 mining and metallurgical sites and oil production assets.

With a strong footprint in over 35 countries in both established and emerging regions for natural resources, Glencore's industrial activities are supported by its global network of more than 30 marketing offices.

Glencore's customers are industrial consumers, such as those in the automotive, steel, power generation, battery manufacturing and oil sectors. We also provide financing, logistics and other services to producers and consumers of commodities. Glencore's companies employ around 145,000 people, including contractors.

Glencore is proud to be a member of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the International Council on Mining and Metals. We are an active participant in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. Our ambition is to be a net zero total emissions company by 2050.

In the News June 9

Nunavik, Northern Quebec

Raglan Mine Workers Strike for Rights and Dignity

– Interview, Éric Savard, President, United Steelworkers Local 9449 –

On May 26, the 630 production workers at the Raglan Mine in Nunavik went on an indefinite general strike against the deterioration of their working conditions and for respect from their employer, which they say is totally lacking. Nunavik is the area of Quebec north of the 55th parallel. The Raglan mine is owned by global mining/metallurgical giant Glencore. Workers’ Forum recently spoke with Éric Savard, President of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9449, which represents these workers and the mine’s entire 850 or so unionized workers.

Workers’ Forum: Can you first inform us about Raglan Mine’s operations?

Éric Savard: Raglan Mine began its operations in 1997, 25 years ago. It has had many owners, including Falconbridge, Xstrata and now Glencore. We mainly produce nickel, which represents about 70 per cent of the ore mined, and we also have copper, cobalt, palladium and other ores. There’s gold as well. The mine’s unionized workforce includes 630 production workers, currently on strike, plus workers with subcontractor Kiewit, the Katinniq Transport workers who move the ore to the ships at the port in Deception Bay, technicians, office staff, and security guards. The production workers work on a commuting fly-in, fly-out basis, often working for 21 consecutive days. They come from all over Quebec as well as from New Brunswick. When Glencore closed the Brunswick smelter in Belledune in northern New Brunswick at the end of 2019 some workers from the smelter came to work with us.

WF: In the Steelworkers’ press release, there’s an emphasis on the demand for respect that drove the workers to strike. Can you tell us more about that?

ES: Since Glencore took over Xstrata we have experienced many rollbacks. This includes an increase in our working hours, an increase in production with the same number of workers, cuts in work breaks. Some of these rollbacks affected conditions that have existed for 20 years. As well, health and safety meetings previously scheduled at the beginning of various work group shifts now take place on workers’ time, not company time. We have experienced a great loss in working conditions.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the security guards were fired about 15 months ago after rejecting the company’s offer. We are in court over this and are still awaiting a ruling. With Glencore, we are constantly filing grievances. Glencore disputes everything, and we have to fight in court over everything, – for our weeks of vacation, to be paid for the day we fly to the mine, etc. There’s a lot of accumulated frustration on these issues.

Glencore has also neglected health and safety conditions. For example, due to a big increase in production we realized that the access ramps had become unsafe. The workers pulled together and rebolted all the ramps. Instead of thanking them, Glencore claimed that production was behind schedule and began harassing the workers to work overtime and threatened to downgrade their work scale levels.

In addition, the company began dictating that for the lunch hour, workers’ transportation time would now be on their time, not company time. Transportation time had been paid by the company for 25 years and it worked well so there was no reason to change it. It can take a worker 15 to 20 minutes to get from the work site to the lunchroom. Now the time it takes to travel to the lunch room is counted as part of the lunch break so workers don’t get a full hour for rest and a meal when they really need it, given all the hours of work they’re required to put in. When you work 21 days in a row, the last thing you want to do is have a fight for your lunch hour. The workers were exasperated with all this.

WF: In your press release you say that subcontracting is a major problem at the mine. Can you explain?

ES: As we say in our release, we have a situation where there are often many more subcontract workers on the mine site than unionized workers. That doesn’t make sense. The people who are hired through subcontracting earn less and their conditions are worse. This means fewer economic benefits for the regions of Quebec where these workers are from.

In addition, this prevents young people from advancing to higher levels with better wages and conditions. Glencore hires a lot of subcontract workers in the middle levels which means that young people can no longer move up the ladder and get training to advance. We’re at a point where we have 30 to 40 per cent subcontract workers now.

Meanwhile, the overall conditions of subcontract workers are inferior to those of unionized workers. Accommodations are not as good, the quality of food is lower. Increasing the number of subcontract workers is not good for workers overall. How is it possible that a big multinational like Glencore is expanding the use of cheap labour and imposing bad working conditions within its facilities?

We are trying to improve everyone’s conditions, increase our hourly rates, improve the pension fund, increase the workers’ standard of living.

WF: Would you like to add something in conclusion?

ES: We have been observing for years that Glencore is regressing in terms of workers’ welfare and protection. We want to see the improvements we are seeking written clearly into the collective agreement. Maybe this is how we’ll stop the grievances and the unnecessary conflicts and improve everyone’s lot.

Workers’ Forum, posted June 9, 2022 

Workers walk out at Glencore’s Raglan nickel mine

30TH MAY 2022

BY: MARIAAN WEBB - CREAMER MEDIA DEPUTY EDITOR ONLINE

The Raglan mine, in Quebec

Diversified miner Glencore has suspended production at its Raglan nickel and copper mine, in Quebec, after 630 unionised workers went on strike late on Friday night.

The parties met on Friday in the presence of a mediator, without breaking an impasse in wage negotiations.

Glencore had tabled an offer to United Steelworkers Union (USW) Local 9449, representing production and maintenance workers, that placed its employees among the best paid in the mining industry.

"We believe the global offer presented to the union was fair and mutually beneficial for all parties. The union's actions are particularly disappointing considering the recent arrival of an independent mediator and the openness the company demonstrated to improve the initial offer," said Raglan VP Pierre Barrette.

However, USW Local 9449 president Eric Savard said union members often work 11-hour shifts, for 21 consecutive days, at the isolated, fly-in/fly-out nickel mining operations in Nunavik. The increased use of subcontractors, who work under inferior conditions at Raglan mine, is another key issue in the labour dispute.

“It has reached the point where there are often many more contractors at the mine site than unionised workers. It doesn't make sense. This means fewer economic benefits for the regions of Quebec, while this multinational corporation extracts huge profits by exploiting our natural resources,” said Savard.

In addition to the use of subcontractors, other stumbling blocks in negotiations include vacations, working conditions and wages. Above all, however, workers said that they demanded more respect from Glencore.

“Glencore has been continually pushing the limits. It even balks at providing a proper lunch hour to workers who are working 11 hours a day, 21 days in a row. It’s reached the point where those who refuse to work overtime are given the cold shoulder by the bosses. Living conditions at the mining camp have deteriorated over the years. The employer systematically quibbles over the living and working conditions of employees who are away from their families for long periods of time. It is time for this company to show greater respect for the workers who are generating its profits of tens of millions of dollars each year,” Savard added.

Glencore stated that the company was ready to return to the negotiating table to continue negotiations as soon as possible in order to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.