Members of the United Steelworkers, Local 9449, representing Raglan mine’s production and maintenance employees, have supported the tentative agreement concluded on August 26 in a voting process that ended on Thursday.

The favourable vote ends the strike at the Glencore-owned mine on the northern edge of Quebec that began on May 27 and puts in place a five-year collective agreement.

"We welcome the ratification of this new collective agreement. We are ready to turn the page on these past few months in order to work together to achieve our goals, while continuing to prioritize everyone's safety," said Raglan VP Pierre Barrette.

The resumption of normal operations and the return of unionised employees to the mine site is scheduled for September 12.

“We went on strike for the first time and our members stood tall. This is now an established option that we have to seek respect and better working conditions,” said Éric Savard, president of Steelworkers Local 9449, representing the Raglan mine workers.

“We succeeded in negotiating improvements on wages and issues such as vacations and work schedules. We also made progress in terms of better regulation of subcontracting,” Savard said.

The new five-year contract provides for wage increases of 6.8% in the first year, 3.5% for the following two years and 3% for each of the last two years. A 10% bonus that was negotiated in previous years will now be rolled into the general wage structure.

Other improvements in the agreement include:

• A lump sum payment, equivalent to six hours of wages, will be paid to each worker on a travel day, when they are flown to the mining operation. The agreement resolves a three-year-old grievance, and includes retroactive payments.
• The benefit plan is improved and benefits will be increased for short-term sick leave.
• A mechanism will be established to ensure greater transparency in the use of subcontractors, while 20 positions that were previously filled by subcontractors will now be filled by union members.
• A new, two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off work schedule has been introduced and will be offered on a voluntary basis to all workers.
• All workers will now have access to a fourth week of vacation after 16 years of service, a new gain for workers on a 50-50 schedule (whether 3-2-2-3 or 2-2).

“I would like to recognise the tremendous work of the union’s bargaining committee, which made it possible to reach this new collective agreement,” said Steelworkers’ staff representative Harold Arsenault.

“Going forward, the union’s work on behalf of the membership will continue on several fronts, as unresolved issues will now be discussed in working groups, as will outstanding grievances. We also will be vigilant in closely monitoring the use of subcontractors. Hats off to everyone and to the solidarity of the members in supporting the union’s work,” Arsenault said.