BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN

The head honchos at Xstrata PLC will face some tough questions during a visit to the city this week, say community leaders.

Ian Pearce, the new CEO of Xstrata's nickel division, and Trevor Reid, the company's chief financial officer, will meet with union representatives, local company management, businesspeople and politicians on Wednesday and Thursday.

The executives are slated to speak at a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Caruso Club Thursday morning at 7:30 am. Pearce is the former chief operating officer of Falconbridge.

“Chamber members will be asking questions like 'What part do you see Xstrata playing in community development and economic development?' and 'Will Xstrata maintain the same employee levels' and 'Will the leadership be Sudbury driven?'” says chamber chair John Bonin.

“I can't make an opinion about whether the takeover by Xstrata will be a good thing at this point because I haven't heard what their plans are. Right now we're doing some fact finding before (the chamber) decides whether we're going to take a stand one way or another.

“It's good the have the officials speaking. They jumped at the chance to come to Sudbury to speak to chamber members. I guess that bodes well for Sudbury.”

Xstrata, a Swiss mining company, was successful in its bid to acquire Falconbridge Ltd. Aug. 14.  The company now owns 97 percent of Falconbridge shares, and will exercise its rights under Canadian law to force the remaining three percent of shareholders to tender their shares.

Mine Mill Local 598 CAW president Rick Grylls says he will be attending the breakfast and has scheduled a meeting with Pearce and Reid for Thursday afternoon.

The union rep will ask how Xstrata plans to conduct their business. He'll also outline gains made in Local 598's last collective agreement and his hopes for improvements to future agreements. The union's collective agreement expires January 31, 2007.

Grylls says he looks forward to working with the new company, despite rumours of union-busting activities. It can't be much worse than working with Falconbridge, he says.

“We just dealt with some of the worst attacks that we could have. We had a seven month long strike in 2000. From what I hear, Xstrata has a different business approach, and I look forward to it. Hopefully that includes a better relationship with their workers through their workers' representatives.”

Tickets to the chamber breakfast cost $25 for chamber members and $40 for non members. Contact Cora Hayden at 673-7133, ext. 222 to purchase tickets.