Brazilian labour group to support Sudbury strikers

(9) Comments | Print | Report a typo | Contact the Editor
Jul 23, 2009- 11:13 AM

By: Sudbury Northern Life

A Brazilian labour group has signed a “strategic partnership” with the United Steelworkers of America to support workers in Sudbury and Port Colborne in their negotiations with Vale.

CUT (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores) Brazil includes those who work for Vale in Brazil.

“With the current international financial crisis, workers don't need to pay for a crisis they didn't create,” said Artur Henrique da Silva Santos, president of CUT Brazil.

"A multinational that has $22 billion of cash flow, and shows a $13.2 billion in profits in 2008, while supposedly caring for its image as a socially responsible company, doesn't need to squeeze workers and their communities.”

John Fera, president of United Steelworkers Local 6500, said it's great to have the support of CUT Brazil.

“They're having the same kind of fight that we are,” he said.

Fera said that members of CUT Brazil visited Sudbury in 2007 as part of an international conference of unions with members that work for Vale.

He said that the Steelworkers would be sending members to Brazil for discussions with union members there in the near future, and members of CUT Brazil would come to Sudbury.

Ken Neumann, the United Steelworkers national director in Canada, said, "The growing international support for the Canadian Vale Inco workers sends a strong message regarding the importance of this fight."

 

Read More: Home > Sudbury News
(9) Comments | Print | Report a typo | Contact the Editor

Reader's Feedback

Editor’s Note:

NorthernLife.ca may contain content submitted by readers, usually in the form of article comments. All reader comments and any opinions, advice, statements or other information contained in any messages posted or transmitted by any third party are the responsibility of the author of that message and not of NorthernLife.ca. The fact that a particular message is posted on or transmitted using this web site does not mean that NorthernLife.ca has endorsed that message in any way or verified the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message. We encourage visitors to NorthernLife.ca to report any objectionable content by using the "report abuse" link found in the comments section of this web site.

9 Comments

  • sudzgirl1 8/5/2009 4:32:52 PM - Report Abuse

    Man about town, I would skip over your comments entirely but I do find them entertaining. It is quite, quite obvious who butters your bread. Or perhaps you are just a lonely, jealous spiteful little man who takes pleasure in bashing anyone who has the gull to stand up for their beliefs. Why is this so difficult for you to comprehend??? I do not work for Vale Inco but like most Sudburians, I have close friends who do. Wake up Man about town, (ya right!), this fight with a foreign company will show other foreign companies, who by now are foaming at the mouth awaiting the results of this fight, to see if they can also get away with offering substandard contracts to Canadian employees. Now, if the old Inco was able to make a go of it, even when the nickel price was hovering close to 2.00$ to 3.00$ dollars, what makes this company different? Perhaps it is their hunger for more and more profits at the expense of Canadian citizens? Does it frighten you that perhaps this issue will get global attention, that your condescending blogs will have had no effect when all is said and done?
    A question for you? If the nickel did once again drop to those low levels seen in previous years? What do you feel would be a fair deal for our miners? Minimum wage, completely give up their pensions and benefits? What would be enough??? We all know the mining industry is cyclical. Good times are followed by bad times, then good times again, and so forth. Once in a while we have these exceptional years such as we have seen in the last two years, but not very often. Do you truly believe that when the market becomes favourable for nickel, Vale Inco will become more open minded regarding the livelihood of their workers?? haha
    Keep it up, we do so enjoy your pitiful efforts in swaying this community’s support for our miners. As you will find out, it will be to no avail.

  • sudzgirl1 8/5/2009 3:30:12 PM - Report Abuse

    Man about town, I would skip over your comments entirely but I do find them entertaining. It is quite, quite obvious who butters your bread. Or perhaps you are just a lonely, jealous spiteful little man who takes pleasure in bashing anyone who has the gull to stand up for their beliefs. Why is this so difficult for you to comprehend??? I do not work for Vale Inco but like most Sudburians, I have close friends who do. Wake up Man about town, (ya right!), this fight with a foreign company will show other foreign companies, who by now are foaming at the mouth awaiting the results of this fight, to see if they can also get away with offering substandard contracts to Canadian employees. Now, if the old Inco was able to make a go of it, even when the nickel price was hovering close to 2.00$ to 3.00$ dollars, what makes this company different? Perhaps it is their hunger for more and more profits at the expense of Canadian citizens? Does it frighten you that perhaps this issue will get global attention, that your condescending blogs will have had no effect when all is said and done?
    A question for you? If the nickel did once again drop to those low levels seen in previous years? What do you feel would be a fair deal for our miners? Minimum wage, completely give up their pensions and benefits? What would be enough??? We all know the mining industry is cyclical. Good times are followed by bad times, then good times again, and so forth. Once in a while we have these exceptional years such as we have seen in the last two years, but not very often. Do you truly believe that when the market becomes favourable for nickel, Vale Inco will become more open minded regarding the livelihood of their workers?? haha
    Keep it up, we do so enjoy your pitiful efforts in swaying this community’s support for our miners. As you will find out, it will be to no avail.

  • Man About Town_513 7/26/2009 4:46:29 PM - Report Abuse

    What a pure fluff PR stunt.

    This would mean something if Brazil's labour laws were the same as ours. AND, they were linked by law.

    For all the good this "partnership" does, they might as well have announced the Steelworkers have chummed up with Martians.

  • economic slave 7/25/2009 9:23:57 AM - Report Abuse

    Yes I see it as a free trade or global fight for workers against the ruling elite (multi-national corperations)that have our governments in their back pocket (kissing away, like we have just seen the past week).What good are contracts or labour laws if they are not enforced by unwilling governments.We as Canadians need to unite to save what little we have left.I support and thank you men and women,fighting for my grandchildren's future.

  • AngryAaron 7/23/2009 9:21:22 PM - Report Abuse

    No teachers means no teachers union....

    No miners means no ore...

    International Union of miners means............

  • lmmbm 7/23/2009 9:07:33 PM - Report Abuse

    Excellent...."sock it to them"

  • Lilly 7/23/2009 7:39:01 PM - Report Abuse

    Well, good luck RobertHood..All I know is, I never thought I'd live to see what is happening right now..and it's happening everywhere. That being said, I do know that We Canadians, have to stand up to our government and tell them that we won't sit idly by while they sell our Natural resources with no regards to how it affects us. We can only hope that things will turn out for the best..in the meantime, you and your family hang in there..

  • RobertHood 7/23/2009 12:12:18 PM - Report Abuse

    Good to see more positive support for our bargaining. I wonder if all this was private, like the Canada CVRD deal was, what the outcome of our contract negotiations would be??!!

  • RobertHood 7/23/2009 12:08:18 PM - Report Abuse

    Well from the company and workers trying to make a deal to Ministers and local MPs and local union head to national papers and TV and now international support from foreign unions who knows what will materialize from all this. Seems to me, a Vale Inco worker, that only wants a fair deal and to go to work like I've done for several decades now (at INCO)there is a lot more at stake. Never thought when I voted it would mean so much, whatever that may turn out to be. Wish me luck, sheesh!!
FacebookTwitterRSSVideophotoNewsletterMobile