Here a strike, there a strike, and another strike over yonder - mining in the Americas hit

Despite mining facilities closures, a rotten global economy, and so-so base metals prices, the strike season is definitely on in the Americas.

Author: Dorothy Kosich
Posted: Wednesday , 15 Jul 2009

RENO, NV -

Strike fever has hit three metals operations in three nations in the Americas even as some operations are already on hiatus for the summer.

Vale said its unionized maintenance and production employees at its Sudbury and Port Colborne nickel operations went on strike Monday after rejecting the company's settlement offer for a new three-year collective bargaining agreement.

The strike impacts 3,073 employees at Vale's Sudbury operations and 116 employees at the Port Colborne refinery. These operations were already on an eight-week shutdown and were schedule to resume work on July 27th.

Meanwhile, workers in Venezuela's state-owned aluminum industry took to the streets of Ciudad Guyana on Monday to demand their labor contracts be fulfilled. Protest leaders told the media that their incomes and labor rights are up in the air and accused the government of being passive amidst the potential collapse of the aluminum sector.

Mining Minister Rodolfo Sanz said that although the international price per ton of aluminum is at $1,200 per tonne, Venezuela's cost of production is about $3,500 per tonne. He added that improving efficiency in the nation's aluminum sector would require millions of dollar in investment along with revising the collective bargaining agreement with workers.

Finally, more than 1,000 miners working for Shougang Hierro Peru, the nation's only iron-ore producer, began an open-ended strike Monday demanding pay hikes.

At this subsidiary of China's state-run Shougang Group, the unions are demanding an increase of between 18 to 27 percent in their salaries, which now range from 34 to 54 soles (US$11 to $18) per day. The company has reportedly only offered a 0.70 soles increase (23-cents).

The 1,060 workers who belong to the union comprise nearly all of Shougang's employees in Peru. They are also demanding greater equality among temporary contract workers because many of them are hired for three or six month terms although other contract workers are permanently on the payroll.

Shougang Hierro Peru reported 7.49 million tonnes of iron ore sold last year, a 2.85% decline over the previous year, with most of the product being exported to China.