Vale Inco president and CEO Tito Martins met with Northern Life at the company’s corporate office in Toronto March 24, and answered questions about a number of topics, including the past and future of the business and the more than eight-month-long strike by Steelworkers Local 6500 members.
Here are some of the highlights of the conversation:
- Martins said the productivity in the smelter, which is currently being run by staff employees, is “much higher today that it was before.” He said the 1,200 staff employees who are currently working in production jobs are currently receiving bonuses for their work.
- In order to produce more ore from the Sudbury mines, replacement workers will be needed sometime in the future, Martins said. He said he doesn’t know when they will be brought in. “(Replacement workers) will come from Sudbury, the surrounding areas, southern Ontario, northern Ontario, wherever. Any guy who wants to work with us, we will be hiring as a contractor, or maybe in the future as a contractor.”
- He said the company’s intention is not to try to break the union. “The intention is to produce,” he said.
- Martins said there are local managers at the bargaining table with Local 6500, including John Pollesel, the company’s vice-president of services and support with the Canada/UK operations. Also at the table is company lawyer Harvey Beresford, who has been negotiating for Inco for 30 years, he said.
- Because it was an unsolicited bid, Vale bought Inco in 2006 when it was only able to view publicly available information about the company’s finances, Martins said. “(We found out more) when we were negotiating the undertakings with the government, because they had to open (the finances) to us. I’m not saying a mistake. We did not. We like what we bought. But we didn’t know a lot of things.”
- When asked if Vale over-paid for Inco in 2006, Martins said “if we manage to achieve some efficiencies, and I’m not talking about employees, we can cope that. We can overcome any negative result.”
- When asked if Vale would sell the part of its operations that was formerly Inco if the right offer existed, Martins said “I don’t think — no. There’s no reason to sell it.” He said he is currently receiving a lot of offers for the purchase of the former Inco.
- Martins was asked why he didn’t take the high road instead of saying some of the things he said in a March 18 message posted on one of the company’s websites, www.valeinconegotiations.com. Part of the message said that “it is somewhat ironic that the USW – itself a foreign union – has relied so heavily on a global campaign of misinformation, racism, intolerance and xenophobia…” Martins said it is necessary for him to be involved in all aspects of the business, even at the local level. He said he is trying to clear up misperceptions about the company.
For the full story, read the Tuesday edition of Northern Life.
