UPDATED - Oct. 23
Vale Inco CEO Tito Martins and about 600 Vale Inco staff members shared a late-day meal together at the Radisson Hotel, located in the Rainbow Centre. The visit was made to give Martins a chance to hear the concerns of employees and provide some answers.
"The purpose of the meeting was for people to meet him, because a lot of people hadn't, and to provide our staff employees with an update on the business context and what our future looks like," said Steve Ball, spokesperson for Vale Inco.
Cory McPhee, another Vale Inco spokesperson, told another local media outlet that Martins did not make comments about layoffs of the anticipated length of the strike, but instead spoke about Vale Inco's future in Sudbury.
McPhee said the company's future hasn't changed despite the strike.
The employees had 30 minutes to ask Martins questions, though he wasn't asked about the length of time the strike is expected to go on.
Martins reportedly did not visit any striking worker or cross any picket lines.
Recently, McPhee and local Vale Inco spokesperson Steve Ball sat down with media outlets to talk about the current strike and the effect it's having on the community.
As far as a return to the bargaining table is concerned, Vale's position remains the same, McPhee said during interviews with local media a couple of weeks ago.
More than 3,000 members of Steelworkers Local 6500 have been on strike since July 13.
McPhee has said the company is open to returning to the table, but the union will have to accept changes to help shape long-term sustainability.
“What we're asking the union to do is to acknowledge that there is change required in the business.”
In a previous interview with Northern Life, United Steelworkers Local 6500 President John Fera said it is impossible to embrace the type of “change” Vale Inco is looking for from the union.
“What they want to do is basically make everything that we've done, all the gains that we've made over the last 60 years, they want them to disappear. That's not going to happen. The old Inco knew that, and the new Vale is going to know that by the end of this fight.
Original Story
Vale Inco management is having a “big meeting” this afternoon, says Steelworkers Local 6500 vice-president Rick Bertrand.
He was commenting response to queries made by Northern Life concerning rumours that Vale Inco president and CEO Tito Martins may be at the meeting. Bertrand said he wasn't sure whether or not Martins is in town.
Northern Life received information from mining industry sources that Martins reportedly arrived in Sudbury today and was staying at a local hotel.
Calls to Vale Inco's public affairs department were not immediately returned.
“It (the meeting) started at 2 p.m. We're just waiting to see if we can get some more information about it. We will once the meeting is done, because we do have our allies,” said Bertrand.
Check back to NorthernLife.ca for more on this story as it becomes available.