Timmins, Ontario, November 6, 2008
Xstrata Copper Canada announces that the members of CAW-Local 599 have ratified a new three year collective agreement. 71% of employees attending the ratification meeting voted in favour of the agreement.
The agreement includes wage increases of 3.25% (year 1), 3% (year 2), 2% plus COLA (year 3) as well as a $2000 signing bonus. The agreement also includes improvements in health and dental benefits, shift premiums and changes to various language items.
“We are very pleased to have achieved a new collective agreement with our employees and look forward to returning to normal operations as soon as possible”, said Thompson Hickey, General Manager of the Kidd Metallurgical site.
The previous collective agreement expired on September 30, 2008 at midnight and the CAW has been on strike since October 1.
Ends
Media contact
Louis-Philippe Gariepy
Manager, Corporate Affairs
T: +1 514 645 2311 ext. 2162
E: lpgariepy@xstratacopper.ca
www.xstrata.com
ABOUT XSTRATA COPPER
Headquartered in Brisbane, Xstrata Copper is one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Its operations and projects span eight countries: Australia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Canada, the USA, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Its operations are administered by five separate divisions, based close to the mining operations, namely the North Queensland, Minera Alumbrera, North Chile, Southern Peru and Canada divisions. It also has a recycling business (Xstrata Recycling) with plants in the United States and offices in Canada and Asia.
Xstrata Copper is the fourth largest global copper producer with annual attributable production capacity of over one million tonnes. Its world-class portfolio of six copper development projects provides the potential to double annual production through organic growth.