Collective Agreement 2007

 

The process for the first collective agreement between Mine Mill 598/CAW and Xstrata Nickel has started at the hotel, the workplace and in the media. The last couple of months there has been a call from the new management to look forward into 2007 and beyond with the good news about investing 16 million in Fraser Morgan, a 14 million dollar exploration program to find a new mine and the possibility of hundreds of millions a year in synergies with the existing infrastructures, boundary lines and shared technologies.  The Health and Safety committees are having very strong interactions with a common goal to improve the workplace mentality in all the employees.

 

Unfortunately the new management must come to realize that the entire positive of these actions will not instantly remove the accumulation of years of mistrust from strikes and negative management towards our collective agreement. Words come easy and judging from the results of the last couple of months of grievance and arbitration answers under new management directive, the Union leadership is not at a point that we are convinced that the right directives are in place to build a vehicle of trust to turn the corner that leads us into tomorrow.

To build a true deep relationship where the workers and their leadership will be heard on workplace issues, there has to have in place decision makers that are well educated in the workplace, the issues, the collective agreement and there has to be in place, a top level directive imbedded right down to the front line supervisor that we all live by the intent of the language of the collective agreement.

 

 

Communication

 

Your bargaining committee, composed of the six chief stewards, the unit chair and the President has taken a different approach this time in the hopes to get the company to talk and to openly discuss the issues including outstanding grievances, job postings, moving workers between sites, vacations, all in the hopes that our talking together will bring a better understanding to the two parties.

In 2003/4 we met for 8 weeks and had only 27 and half hours of talks resulting in that Company strategy of putting us into the ditch. To make every effort to have a collective agreement before February, the Union has exchange proposals a week earlier and is available to talk on issues on most days till January 3rd. We also agreed to the Company’s request to have a Ministry of Labour mediator, Mr. Greg Long available starting January 3rd, and from there on, we will be available to talk till January 31st 11.59.59 pm to reach a fair and just collective agreement.

 

 

 

Media Rumors and the Facts

 

We will keep the membership informed by news letters and news releases to stop the rumors from happening. There have been several rumors already including one at an employee Christmas party about some quotes from a manager that there will be an agreement as long as the Union does not get greedy.

 

You and I know what the facts are; the last three strikes were not caused by the Union or the employee’s greed.

 

As for the greed comment, the nickel that we produce brings the wealth to the company and the high demand has created record profits. The good capitalist practices of “what you can take advantage of and what the market can bare” should also reflect on how this company shares the wealth with their employees.

 

Rick Grylls

President CAW598