Wabush mineworkers get hefty raise

Monday, February 8th of 2010

Last Updated: Friday, February 5, 2010 | 5:13 PM NT

Workers at Wabush Mines in western Labrador have voted to accept a new collective agreement that will see them get, on average, a 20 per cent raise over the life of the five-year deal.

Members of the Steelworkers Union at the iron ore mine voted 83 percent for the new agreement, which local president Jason Penny said provides substantial gains to employees.

"We've got some major increases in our pension," he told CBC News. "We also got a lot of good language. [It] changes some stuff there to clear up some of the problems we've had over the years, and I believe we got a very positive future moving forward."

Penny said the current average salary at the mine is $28.79 an hour, which will increase to $33.30 an hour by the end of the five years.

The contract also includes increases in how much money workers get under a northern allowance subsidy, a hydro subsidy and a cost of living arrangement.

The company's unionized workers in Sept-Iles, Que., voted 71 per cent in favour of the deal.

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. announced earlier in the week it had finalized a transaction involving its former partner that saw it take over complete ownership of Wabush Mines, which employs more than 700 workers, at a cost of $88 million.

The Wabush Mines operation includes the iron ore mine near Wabush and the pellet plant and port facilities in at Sept-Iles.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/02/05/nl-wabush-contract-050210.html#ixzz0exOIUi0O

Return To News Listings

Top of page