Ushitau Maintance Employess Negotiating Contract

Another group of employees at the Voisey’s Bay mine site are negotiating a new contract.

Boyd Bussey is a negotiator with the United Steelworkers Union.

He says the contract with employees of Ushitau Maintenance expired recently.

Bussey says a conciliation officer was called in to assist in the negotiations.

The conciliator is filing their report to the Minister of Labour this week.

Employees are able to hold a strike vote 15 days from the time the report is filed.

Ushitau Maintenance is responsible for maintenance of the sites concentrator and loading dock.

There are about 50-60 people employed with the contractor.

Bussey adds that contracts for two other groups have also expired recently.

Those groups are Torngat Services Incorporated and Office and Technical workers with Vale Inco.

They are in the process of setting a date to begin negotiations.