Vale looks to contractors

Production and Markets

Publishing Date: 15 Mar 2010 1:32pm GMT
Author: Mining Journal

Vale has announced plans to increase nickel production at its strike-bound Canadian operations by hiring outside workers.

The workers have been on strike for close to eight months at Vale’s operations in the provinces of Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Focussing on copper, Vale resumed partial production at its Sundbury project in Ontario during September last year. In January, the company restarted its nickel smelter at the site.

Vale said it now intends to ramp up at Sudbury and expects to be at full production by the end of the second quarter.

“We’re looking at increasing our mine production, and we’re going to be doing that with a combination of our existing staff employees, as well as external mine contractors,” Cory McPhee, a spokesman for Vale, said.

About 3,300 employees at Sudbury walked out in July last year when contract talks broke down, leading to the longest strike in Vale’s 67-year history.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, Vale has resumed production at the Voisey’s Bay Ovoid mine, which supplies nickel to its operations throughout Ontario and to European clients.