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Vale displayed “reckless disregard” for safety, [Sudbury] union report says; criminal investigation sought – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 29, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Jason Chenier spent his last days in early June as a supervisor at Vale’s Stobie Mine alerting management about the safety hazards related to excess water and other factors underground.

Chenier, 35, erected double guardrails at two levels of the mine to act as “shutdown signals” that the areas were unsafe.

The guardrails were removed under management’s direction and re-installed as many as three times in the next two days.

He e-mailed management with concerns about excess water in areas where employees were working.

On June 7, 2011, he e-mailed Vale management advising it “should not be dumping ore or blasting this ore until the water situation is under control.”

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Vale saying little about ruling – by Star Staff (Sudbury Star – February 28, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

LABOUR RELATIONS: Board decision favours union

Vale is still not commenting on the decision Friday by the Ontario Labour Relations Board to direct the matter of eight discharged employees to just cause arbitration.

Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson said Monday at 4 p.m. she had nothing to add to a statement issued Saturday at The Sudbury Star’s request.

Robson said then that Vale is continuing to “review and assess the decision of the Ontario Labour Relations Board. “The OLRB has made no ruling on the correctness or legitimacy of the discharges,” said Robson.

The purpose of the hearings into United Steelworkers unfair bargaining complaint against Vale was not to determine if the firing of eight Steelworkers during their year-long strike against the mining company were justified.

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Board decision strikes ‘to the core:’ lawyer – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 27, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board to directly send the discharges of eight Steelworkers to arbitration is one of the most far-reaching made by the board in a decade, said United Steelworkers lawyer Brian Shell.

The board ruled in favour of the union Friday and is directing Vale to enter into arbitration to decide the fate of eight men fired during United Steelworkers’ bitter year-long strike against Vale.

Shell said the decision goes to the core of collective bargaining, “the core of the right to strike and to the core of the dig-n ity unionized workers are entitled to by joining a union, by having a bargaining agent and by having that bargaining agent do collective bargaining for them.

“It goes right to the heart of the entire system of labour relations,” Shell said. Vale has had little to say about Friday’s decision other than to release this statement Saturday afternoon that its team continues to “review and assess” the board’s 29-page decision.

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NEWS RELEASE: “Patently Unreasonable” Vale Breaks Ontario Labour Law

Media release

Labour Board Ruling Vindicates Steelworkers In Case of Fired Employees
SUDBURY, 24 February, 2012 – Mining giant Vale engaged in “patently unreasonable” conduct and violated provincial labour law by firing nine Sudbury workers without recourse to arbitration, the Ontario Labour Relations Board has ruled.

“This ruling is another concrete example of Vale’s blatant disregard for workers’ rights, for our laws and for our country’s labour relations traditions and culture,” said United Steelworkers International President Leo Gerard.

“This is a major victory for our union, for the working families who have been adversely affected by Vale’s unlawful conduct, and for unionized workers throughout the province,” said USW Local 6500 President Rick Bertrand.

“It is shameful that the affected families have suffered in limbo for more than two years due to Vale’s illegal decision to deny workers their right to independent arbitration,” Bertrand said.

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Former Vale worker vindicated by OLRB ruling – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 25, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Brian Miller has lived in Sudbury since 1979, but, for the last two years, he has felt like an outcast. Miller, 42, was one of nine Steelworkers fired during the union’s year-long strike against Vale Ltd. from July 2009-2010. (One retired after the strike.)

Miller worked his last shift as a development miner at Frood Mine on May 28, 2009. He had 13 years with the company when his union went on strike July 13 of that year.

He was fired Feb. 23, 2010, in the midst of the most bitter labour dispute to rock the Nickel City in decades.

Miller was pleased to learn Friday the Ontario Labour Relations Board had ruled his dismissal, and those of Steelworkers Ron Breault, Mike Courchesne, Adam Cowie, Dan Labelle, Mike French, Jason Patterson and Patrick Veinot, will go to arbitration.

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Vale firings breached act: OLRB – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 25, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A provincial arbitrator will decide if the firings of eight Steelworkers during their yearlong strike against Vale Ltd. were justified after a ruling Friday by the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

The board directed arbitration of the men’s dismissals on a just cause standard more than two years after their union, United Steelworkers, filed a bad-faith bargaining complaint against the Brazil-based miner.

The original complaint was filed Jan. 13, 2010, at the six-month mark of a bitter strike by 3,400 USW members in Sudbury and Port Colborne.

The complaint changed during the two years from one about Vale refusing to collectively bargain to whether the firings of nine men during the strike should be sent to arbitration.

(One of the fired men retired at the end of the strike.)

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Record Nickel Supply Expanding Glut Thwarts Bull Market Rally: Commodities – by Jae Hur and Ichiro Suzuki Bloomberg.com – February 22, 2012)

www.bloomberg.com

Mining companies and refineries are producing more nickel than at any time in history, expanding a glut that threatens to reverse this year’s rally.

Production will exceed demand by 45,000 metric tons, a 73 percent jump from 2011, Barclays Capital estimates. That’s equal to 46 percent of stockpiles tracked by the London Metal Exchange. Refined output will rise 12 percent, the most in at least eight years, according to Morgan Stanley. Prices, which rose 7.8 percent to $20,170 a ton this year, may fall as much as 13 percent to $17,630 a ton by Dec. 31, the median of 11 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg shows.

Metals have returned to a bull market from a 22 percent slump last year on an improving outlook for global growth with manufacturing in the U.S. capping the biggest two-month increase in more than two years in January and unexpectedly gaining in China. With new supply expected from Australia to Madagascar to Brazil, consumption still won’t expand fast enough to absorb the extra metal. Most markets for stainless steel, accounting for 76 percent of nickel demand, remain “depressed,” Deutsche Bank AG said in a report Feb. 15.

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Vale Ltd. moves ahead with $2-billion emissions reduction plan at Sudbury stack – by Hugh McKenna (Winnipeg Free Press – February 17, 2012)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Mining giant Vale Ltd. is moving ahead with a $2-billion plan to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions at its smelter in Sudbury, where the company’s so-called superstack has long been seen as a monument of industrial development and pollution.

The initiative, which the Brazilian-based company describes as the largest in the history of Ontario, and likely Canada, has a goal of slashing emissions at the smelter by 70 per cent over several years.

“This reduction is in addition to the 90 per cent reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions realized since 1970 and complements the ongoing success story that is the regreening of the Sudbury region,” Vale said in making the announcement Thursday.

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Vale to cut [Sudbury] emissions – by Rita Poliakov (Sudbury Star – February 17, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale has finally approved the Clean AER Project, a $2 billion investment that will reduce sulp hu r dioxide emissions at Vale’s Sudbury smelter by 70%.

The Clean AER (atmospheric emissions reduction) Project, one of the largest environmental investments in Ontario’s history, will include retrofitting the smelter complex. Along with the environmental benefits, Clean AER will mean more local jobs. At the peak of construction, which should start around April, Vale expects to have 1,300 workers on-site.

The initiative comes after the bitter Vale strike, which created tension in the community between the company and its employees. “This really represents our commitment to the city with respect to sustainable development,” said Vale project director Dave Stefanuto. “We recognize there are great assets in Sudbury, not only in terms of the facility, but in terms of the people. We recognize the importance of hanging on to those assets.”

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Vale approves $2B clean air project in Sudbury – by Peter Koven (National Post – February 16, 2012)

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

Mining giant Vale SA has greenlighted a massive $2-billion emissions reductions project in Sudbury, Ont., that ranks among the biggest environmental investments in Ontario’s history.

The so-called Clean AER project (for Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) will be unveiled Thursday after years of anticipation in the region. The goal is to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from Vale’s nickel smelter by 70%, bringing them well below government-regulated limits that come into effect in 2015.

“It was really felt that these are core assets to our company and to our future, and we have to maintain those assets,” project director Dave Stefanuto said in an interview. “So I don’t think it was too difficult a decision for our executives to make with respect to funding the project.”

The project will create plenty of economic activity in Sudbury, as it requires an estimated eight million man-hours of labour and as many as 1,300 workers onsite during the peak construction period.

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NEWS RELEASE: VALE APPROVES $2 BILLION [SUDBURY] ‘CLEAN AER’ PROJECT

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, February 16, 2012 – Vale has approved a $2-billion investment in the “Clean AER Project”, one of the largest environmental investments in Ontario’s history. 

The Clean AER Project (AER stands for atmospheric emissions reduction) will see sulphur dioxide emissions at Vale’s smelter in Sudbury reduced by 70% from current levels. This reduction is in addition to the 90% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions realized since 1970 and complements the ongoing success story that is the re-greening of the Sudbury region. 

“This project is an important undertaking and will utilize the latest technological innovations available to us to retrofit our smelter complex,” said John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada Limited and Director of Base Metals for Vale’s North Atlantic operations. “We are creating a new legacy through this project – cleaner air for Sudbury, Ontario and Canada. It’s a proud day and great news for all of us who work, live, and raise families in this wonderful community.”

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NEWS RELEASE: Vale Celebrates Sudbury Saturday Night with a $150,000 Donation to the Human League’s P.L.A.Y. Program

(left to right) Rod LaRoque, President, The Human League; John Pollesel, Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada and Director of Base Metals for Vale's North Atlantic Region; Kelly Strong, Vale's Vice-President Mining and Miling for the North Atlantic Region and General Manager, Ontario Operations; Dana Marshall, Executive Director, The Human League; and Jerry Beaudry, Fundraising Coordinator, The Human League.

For Immediate Release

SUDBURY, February 13, 2012 – Vale celebrated another Sudbury Saturday Night on February 11th, with a $150,000 donation to the Human League’s Positive Leisure Activities for Youth (P.L.A.Y.) Program over the next three years.

“No child should have to miss out on playing a sport due to financial constraints,” said John Pollesel, Vale’s Chief Operating Officer, Vale Canada and Director of Base Metals for Vale’s North Atlantic Region. “Vale is pleased to support the Human League’s P.L.A.Y. Program and to provide the means for youth in our community to reach their potential through extracurricular activities.”

The Human League’s P.L.A.Y. Program removes financial barriers to extra curricular activities by providing registration and equipment costs for children to participate. The program focuses on a child’s self-image and self-esteem by giving him or her the necessary tools to access recreation in the community. Since its inception in 2003, the P.L.A.Y. program has helped over 4,800 children in the community get involved in hockey, soccer, music, dance and art programs.

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[Vale Sudbury’s] Copper Cliff Mine first to resume production – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 10, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale Ltd. is ramping up to resume production at Copper Cliff Mine this weekend, almost three weeks after production was halted at all five Sudbury mines after a Jan. 29 fatal accident at Coleman Mine in Levack.

The mines were closed for a safety pause after experienced development miner Stephen Perry, 47, was killed while operating machinery at the 4,215-foot level of the main ore body at Coleman.

The company and its employees, both union and non-union, have been working together since Perry’s death to ensure the mines are safe for about 1,550 production and maintenance workers when they return.

Vale’s Angie Robson said she expects most of the company’s mines will be back in production by the end of next week. “At Creighton Mine, we are working on some maintenance of our shaft, and expect to start production there by the last week of February,” said Robson.

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[Sudbury Vale] Workers back after fatality – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 3, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

As a memorial mass is being said today for a veteran miner killed on the job, crews will start returning to five Vale mines where production was suspended after the fatality.

Stephen Perry, 47, died Sunday afternoon after being struck by rock while working on a piece of loading equipment at the 4,215-foot level of the main ore body at Coleman Mine in Levack. Hundreds of people, including about 45 family members from his native Newfoundland, were expected to attend the 10 a.m. service.

About 1,550 production and maintenance workers have been off the job, with pay, since Perry was killed. While some will start returning to work, the focus will remain on safety and not production, said Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson.

Returning workers will be “focused on tasks associated with safety and risk management, and not production-related work,” said Robson. “There is still no timeline on when our mines will return to production.”

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Another death at Vale’s Sudbury mines – Editorial (Northern Miner – February 6-12, 2012)

The Northern Miner, first published in 1915, during the Cobalt Silver Rush, is considered Canada’s leading authority on the mining industry.

The month of January closed out with Vale having temporarily halted all underground mining at its five nickel mines in Sudbury, Ont., following the death of a miner at the Coleman mine on Jan. 29.

Miner Stephen Perry, 47, was working on the 4,215-ft. level when he was struck by “what appears to be a displacement of material or rock from the development face in the main orebody,” commented Kelly Strong, Vale’s North Atlantic vice-president of mining and milling, in an early Jan. 30 news conference.

Perry was brought to surface where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel, said Strong, who extended his condolences to the miner’s family and friends. He had been with the company for 16 years. This is the fourth fatality in seven months at Vale’s Canadian operations, and the third death at the company’s Sudbury mines.

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