Flin Flon MLA Clarence Pettersen has thoughts and concerns on the partial strike at Hudbay, but he says he is not taking sides.
Asked what his attendance at a strike-launching IAM Local 1848 barbecue last weekend meant, Pettersen offered a evenhanded answer.
“It means I support all sides,” he told The Reminder. “I mean, all my constituents are involved in this from the company to the [IAM members] to all the unions to the contractors, to anybody that lives in my constituency. So I support everybody.
“Of course [IAM members] have the democratic right to go on strike, and so I was there in support, hopefully, that they can get back to the table and negotiate a fair agreement that will work for both Hudbay and for [IAM].”
Invited to offer his overall thoughts on IAM’s decision to strike, Pettersen reiterated his hope that the matter can be resolved.
“I can’t say if it’s the right time or the wrong time, but what I can say is obviously they’ve been negotiating with Hudbay and they felt that there was no alternative,” he said, “and that’s a tough job and a tough decision to make, and, like I say, hopefully they can all get back to the negotiating table and solve this so that they can get back to work and everybody can be happy.”
Repercussions
From the beginning of the strike, IAM has expressed doubt about Hudbay’s ability to keep operations going without the 180 tradespeople the union represents.
If the operations were to shut down, up to 1,460 people would be out of work for an unknown length of time – a concern for many residents, including Hudbay employees who are financially unprepared for a work stoppage.
Pettersen said any possibility of operations grinding to a halt “definitely concerns me.”
“I mean, most of the people that work for the company, like I say, some of them have mortgages on their house, some of them have car loans, whatever, so it affects everybody,” he added. “But having said that, when you’re negotiating with someone, whether it’s the company or anybody else, you want to make sure you get a fair agreement. And I guess the [IAM members] don’t think they have a fair agreement and so they’re going on strike.
“I can’t say what the other unions will do because they’re in the process of negotiating their contracts, but I guess through frustration, maybe on both sides, the company and the union, and the talks came to a halt and so the union felt that this was the only alternative they had.”
Asked whether it’s possible there simply isn’t an agreement to be had that will satisfy both IAM and Hudbay, Pettersen said the matter will eventually be resolved.
“Even if they’re far apart, obviously it’s a matter of time,” he said. “One side or the other will come to a decision [on] what a fair agreement is. I can’t say what that is because I’m not involved in it, but hopefully it’s sooner than later.”
