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Alcoa locks union workers out of Canada smelter as contract expires

11th January 2018

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BENGALURU – The tussle between Alcoa Corp and union workers escalated on Thursday after the aluminium producer locked them out of its smelter in Becancour, Quebec, as an old contract expired at midnight and talks on a new agreement failed.

The collective agreement for 1 030 unionised workers expired at 11:59 EST Wednesday, which gave workers the right to strike and Alcoa the right to lock them out, the United Steelworkers had said.

The union at the ABI smelter rejected Alcoa's proposal, which included a two-tier pension plan that was less favourable to new workers and demanded concessions on seniority rights, but had said they were ready to negotiate further.

"Rather than returning to the bargaining table, ABI has gone even further with its heavy-handed tactics, locking out employees without warning in the middle of the night," Clement Masse, president of Steelworkers Local 9700, said in a statement on Thursday.

The union's employees would remain locked out of the facility until further notice, Alcoa said in a statement.

Alcoa owns 74.95% of the ABI smelter, with Rio Tinto Alcan, owing the rest. It produces 430 000 t of aluminium annually.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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