TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Brazilian-owned Vale Inco plans to increase mining operations in Sudbury, despite a strike by unionised workers that is currently in its seventh month.

More than 3 000 members of the United Steelworkers union downed tools on July 13, after contract negotiations failed.

The company's Port Colborne operations, in Ontario, and Voisey's Bay mine, in Newfoundland and Labrador, are also halted because of strikes.

In Sudbury, Vale Inco restarted some mining at its Coleman and Garson ramp operations, as well as its Clarabelle mill, using nonstriking workers in October.

The mining has targeted copper and precious metal-rich ore, and the mill is producing a copper concentrate.

Last month, the company started up its Copper Cliff smelter, which is running at 50% capacity and being fed from stockpiles.

“We do intend to increase mine production in Sudbury to feed the smelter on a continuing basis,” said Vale Inco spokesperson Cory McPhee.

“We are moving forward with plans to bring [the] Creighton mine into full production and moving [the] Coleman mine from partial production to full production.”

Partial production at our Garson ramp will continue, he said.

The company has not established a timetable for the ramp-up, “but can confirm our intentions”, McPhee said.

It will use existing staff wherever possible, but will also need additional workers that will be supplied from a contractor.

The smelter will continue to operate at 50% capacity, producing a nickel matte, and the Clarabelle mill will continue to produce a copper concentrate, McPhee confirmed.

There are no talks scheduled with Sudbury workers, or with representatives of employees in Newfoundland and Labrador, who are also on strike.

Vale, the world's second-largest mining company, bought Canadian nickel-miner Inco in 2007.

The company says that it needs to implement changes, including to the nickel bonus system and pension structures, if the Sudbury operations are to run economically, but the union maintains it is being asked for unnecessary concessions.

Earlier this week, employees at the other big miner in the Sudbury Basin, Xstrata Nickel, ratified a new three-year contract, averting a strike.

As part of the deal, Xstrata agreed to restart its Fraser mine, which was halted in February last year because of low nickel prices.

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