The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor No Hudbay employee will be handed a pink slip when Trout Lake Mine ceases production next weekend, a silver lining amid company downsizing. But the bad news is that over 30 contract positions have been lost as the fast-depleting mine reaches the end of its three-decade run. Between retirements and openings at other mines, all Hudbay employees at Trout Lake who want to continue working for the company will have that opportunity. 'There won't be any layoffs and everybody's pretty much got a position, or a home, here in Flin Flon,' said Richard Trudeau, Hudbay's manager of Flin Flon and Snow Lake mines. Just over 100 Hudbay workers remain at Trout Lake Mine, which will officially close on June 30. Workers transfer Trudeau said the transfer of workers from Trout Lake to the 777 and 777 North mines has already begun. Meanwhile, 16 Trout Lake workers have accepted positions at the Reed copper mine Hudbay is developing outside of Snow Lake. 'That's their own choosing _ we put a bulletin out and they want to take on that new project,' Trudeau said. Hudbay minimized layoffs by offering a $25,000 retirement incentive to more experienced workers across the company. All told, 37 workers took the offer at a cost of $925,000 to Hudbay. Trudeau called the incentive offering 'quite successful.' But the closure of the mine has hardly been painless. As of March Trout Lake employed just three contractors, down from 36 at the start of 2011. See 'Head...' on pg. 3
