(Montreal) Negotiations are slow to resume between the IOC mining company and the Steelworkers union, which represents some 1,900 workers in Sept-Îles and Labrador.

At the beginning of the month, the workers, members of three local sections of the Steelworkers union, affiliated with the FTQ, had rejected the agreement in principle which had been reached to renew the collective agreements. These work at the mine, the factory, the railroad and the port.

The employer said it was disappointed with the rejection, especially since it believed that the agreement reached represented “a strong, fair and competitive offer” favorable to employees and which “protects the future of IOC” from the same breath, while being “beneficial to our communities”.

The delay before resuming negotiations is explained by a rule that exists in Newfoundland and Labrador, imposing a “cooling off period” of 15 days after the rejection of an agreement in principle.

The Steelworkers union would not comment on the situation, other than to say that it expects talks will indeed resume at the end of the month for all affected locals.

The company says it is ready to resume talks soon. “All parties remain committed to working together to reach an agreement and have agreed to meet again to resume discussions. »