Manitoba Local 1848 Begins Strike at Hudbay
May 5, 2015
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| IAM Local 1848 members on the picket line outside the Hudbay Minerals facility in Snow Lake, Manitoba. |
IAM Local 1848 members at Hudbay Minerals, Inc. in Manitoba, Canada have set up picket lines at the company’s operations in Flin Flon and Snow Lake.
The 180-member strike began on Saturday, May 2 after the company stonewalled worker concerns over wage gaps, grievance procedures, outsourcing and other issues.
Click here for photos from the strike line.
“This bargaining process never stood a chance,” said IAM Grand Lodge Representative Ian Morland. “None of the outstanding language issues were addressed and the wage enhancement still leaves us far behind the wages paid to apprentices and certified trades at sites in The Pas and Thompson, Manitoba.
“From the beginning, management’s attitude toward us has been hostile. We offered to assist management with a controlled shut down of all operations in the event of a strike, but they rejected this offer outright. The equipment will break down if it is not maintained properly. This could have been avoided.
“We are willing to resume bargaining at any time provided the employer has something better to offer. In bargaining you can push people only so far and then they stick, that’s where we are right now.”
