Manitoba steelworkers won't touch Voisey's ore

Steelworkers at an Inco plant in Manitoba will not process nickel concentrate shipped from Labrador as long as a strike continues at the Voisey's Bay mine, a union official says.

Les Ellsworth, president of the United Steelworkers union local in Thompson, joined Voisey's Bay strikers on a picket line Tuesday in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, where mine workers and heavy equipment operators have been on strike since July 28.

Last week, steelworkers at Inco's Sudbury, Ont., facility vowed to not process Voisey's Bay concentrate, in support of the strikers.

Ellsworth said his members are making the same commitment, which will put pressure on Inco to revive negotiations.

"What you have to keep in mind is Thompson, Man., is receiving 45 per cent of their production from Voisey's Bay," Ellsworth said.

"So it's not just about Voisey's Bay. It's critical to the Manitoba division, which is why I expect that it won't last that long."

No talks have been scheduled between the United Steelworkers, which represents the 117 workers on the picket line, andVoisey's Bay Nickel Company Ltd.,an Inco subsidiary.

The mine went into production last fall.

While no concentrate has been produced since the strike began, strikers estimate the company has reserves large enough to filloneshipload and half of another.

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has said consequences of a prolonged strike could affect the economy. It estimated that the annual value of concentrate extracted from Voisey's Bay would be almost $1 billion.

Among other things, the striking Voisey's Bay workers are seeking wage parity with Inco workers in other Canadian sites.