The strike at the Raglan mine, in Quebec, is continuing to drag on, with the labour dispute now lasting nearly eight weeks.

The Glencore-owned mine said on Wednesday that the United Steelworkers Union Local 9449 had rejected its latest offer, tabled on July 10.

"We are disappointed with the outcome of the vote," said Raglan VP Pierre Barrette.

"Our objective with this new offer was to provide our employees with working conditions that are among the best in the mining industry, and to restart our activities as quickly as possible for the benefit of all, including our partners in Nunavik," he added.

Since negotiations began, the union has chosen to leave the negotiating table twice: first on May 27, when it went on strike and suspended discussions 12 minutes after the tabling of an offer, and again on July 7, when it broke off talks after a return to the table that lasted only a few hours.

"Despite this, our goal remains the same: to come to an agreement that is mutually beneficial for all parties and that will ensure the sustainability of our operations," added Barrette. 

The last offer refused by the Raglan union members provided for an average salary increase of 32.2% over five years, reviewed yearly based on inflation.  With this offer, 80% of the unionised employees would have received total compensation ranging between C$130 000 and C$190 000 a year.

In comparison, the average total compensation in Quebec is C$66 500 a year, Raglan said, citing data published by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.

This means that the mine was prepared to offer its employees an average salary that was double the Quebec average, Raglan said. In addition, unionised employees work on condensed schedules that allowed them to spend half the year at home. 

Some mining activities are currently under way despite the labour dispute. Operations are carried out by professional staff and contractors who were already performing similar work prior to the dispute, in accordance with the provisions of the Quebec Labour Code.