MONTREAL - Vale, the Brazilian owner of the former Inco Sudbury nickel mines said Monday it has reached a tentative five-year deal with the United Steelworkers representing 3,000 workers on strike since July 13 last year. The membership vote is due this Wednesday and Thursday.
The company said "we're happy to have a deal... both sides worked very hard to get there." It includes a back-to-work protocol, but the timing was not disclosed pending the ratification vote.
The union said the last remaining issue, the firing of nine workers and their right to arbitration, was settled at the last minute by having it transferred to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for a fast hearing.
Wayne Fraser, a USW national representative, said the Sudbury deal hopefully will spur a settlement at Vale's Voisey's Bay nickel mine in Labrador, where 200 workers have been on strike since last August.
Vale is the world's fourth largest nickel producer with annual capacity of 150,000 tonnes and the largest iron ore miner, The company bought Inco in 2006 and changed the name from Vale Inco in May.
The Sudbury smelter has been operating at about 50 per cent of capacity.
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