Online protest campaign a success: Steelworkers

More than 8,000 individual protests were sent to Vale's top executive as part of in an online campaign launched last month by LabourStart, the international trade union news service.

"Trade union activists and supporters around the globe joined this innovative campaign in unprecedented numbers to support Canadian workers under attack by a foreign, multinational mining giant," Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers' national director for Canada, said in a release.

The union said thousands of messages from supporters around the world were sent to Roger Agnelli, CEO of Brazil-based Vale.

Vale owns Vale Inco. More than 3,400 Steelworkers in Greater Sudbury, Port Colborne and Voisey's Bay are on strike in a dispute with Vale Inco over pensions, bonuses and transfer rights.

Workers in Greater Sudbury and Port Colborne struck July 13; employees in Voisey's Bay walked out Aug. 1.

Vale Inco says it needs changes to its labour contracts so it can make money in all business cycles. The Steelworkers call the changes concessions that its negotiators say the company does not need to be profitable.

Neumann said the Steelworkers appreciate the support. "It has been heartening to see thousands of people speak out, within such a brief timeframe," he said.

"Working people everywhere recognize it is unacceptable, arrogant and callous for a highly profitable foreign corporation to try to impose drastic concessions on workers and their communities, while removing greater amounts of wealth from those communities."

The Steelworkers say Vale Inco "is demanding huge concessions" from its Canadian workers even though the workers generated a record US $4.1 billion in profits from 2006 to 2008. Worldwide, Vale earned a record US $13.2-billion profit in 2008 and it remains highly profitable despite a global recession.

Though they are attempting to impose huge concessions on Canadian workers, Vale's top executives have had pay increases of 121% in the last two years, the union charged.

Through the LabourStart online campaign, thousands sent e-mail messages protesting Vale's labour relations strategy, which the Steelworkers say includes hiring replacement workers "to try to divide workers and communities."

"I am deeply concerned about how global mining company Vale is treating workers," stated a standard message sent to Vale. "Vale should quit trying to divide unions and communities."

The online campaign spread to Twitter this month, generating one of the largest petitions on the social networking service.

"Until Vale agrees to negotiate a fair deal with its Canadian workers and their communities, the USW and our allies will continue our domestic and international solidarity campaigns against this company's attacks on working families," said Neumann.

The USW has a standing offer to Vale Inco to resume meaningful, good-faith negotiations, without either side attaching pre-conditions to a return to the bargaining table.

The company, however, said there is no point resuming talks until the union agrees to the need for contract changes.