Jobs barbecue today for work during Vale shutdown

Some contractors are already on site to do routine repairs at Vale's Sudbury mines and surface plants as part of the company's planned maintenance period.

But while some maintenance has already begun, the majority of the work will take place throughout the month of September until mid-October, Vale spokesperson Angie Robson said in an email.

At one time, the company would shut down its operations every year as maintenance work was done. Robson said this is now done roughly every 18 months, “given the complexity in stopping and restarting our operations.”

While some employees do work during the planned maintenance period, many take their vacation during this time, she said.

Robson said she didn't have an estimate on how many contract workers will be performing maintenance at Vale over the next few months.

However, during the last planned maintenance period, there were some 1,200 workers at the company's surface plants alone, she said.

The company spent about $133 million on the last planned maintenance period, with $91 million, or 70 per cent, being spent at local businesses, something that Robson said has “a very positive impact for our local economy.”

Total Personnel Solutions, a local company which searches for employees for contractors, is hosting a barbecue and job fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 9 for those interested in working during Vale's planned maintenance period.

John Marunchak, a placement co-ordinator with Total Personnel Solutions, said he's looking for about 50 tradespeople, drivers, skilled labourers and machine operators to work at local contractors during the maintenance period.

Finding these workers isn't an easy task, though.

“In the city right now, there is a bit of a deficit, in terms of tradespeople,” he said.

“We're having to actively recruit from down south and out west to fill a lot of positions. Vale's looking, Xstrata's looking, all of the contractors that we work with ... are all pretty much fighting for the same pool of people in Sudbury.”

For more information about the job fair, phone Total Personnel Solutions at 705-682-3362.