Tembec and its employees are set to resume the negotiation process that has 650 company employees currently on strike.
According to the company’s website, the forest products manufacturer sent a letter to the Union yesterday inviting them to return to the negotiating table in the coming days.
The letter, which was only available in French, was followed by a second message confirming that the company agreed to the negotiation process and to the Union’s pre-requirements for participating in the meetings.
The Union then confirmed via telephone that they would be participating in the talks, beginning on Friday, December 5.
“The emails that were transferred back and forth yesterday give me the indication that they’re ready to negotiate seriously, and we are as well,” said Roger Gauthier, president of Unifor Local 233, who represents those workers currently on strike. “Our workers deserve respect from the employers and now they’re seeing that we’re serious."
Roughly 650 unionized employees out of 850 Tembec workers walked off the job at the facility last Wednesday after rejecting what was termed a “final offer” from Tembec by a 94 per cent vote.
They have since been on the picket line rotation and voicing their opinion that the benefits of seeing their terms come to fruition are worth the short-term uneasiness.
According to a statement from Unifor Local 233, the union is seeking a list of demands including implementing progressive discipline, improving job security, and the company respecting the collective agreement, to name just a few.
For more on the initial walk out, click here: http://www.baytoday.ca/content/news/details.asp?c=69780
The Montreal, Quebec-based company is Canada’s largest forest products operation with 850 manufacturing employees alone. Worldwide, the company has some 3,500 employees in Canada and France, with annual sales of $1.6 billion.
The company’s shares have slipped on the Toronto Stock Exchange since the strike commenced and production at its lumber mill ceased. Over the last five days alone, Tembec Inc. (TMB) shares have dropped 8.47 per cent to $2.73 a share, down 6.9 per cent from last year to date.
The Union and the company have been in negotiations since August 2014, with their four-year collective agreement having expired on Sept. 30.
Back in May of this year, the company reportedly asked for a one-year extension on the old collective agreement in exchange for a $1,000 lump sum payment to each unionized employee. One month after that request, the union advised the company that the offer had been rejected.
As a result of the recent walkout, the company has also delayed the construction and installation of a high-pressure boiler and turbine, which was expected to be completed by mid-December.
Since the employees went on strike, company representatives have continued to stress the importance of implementing a $255 million green power project, which they say is vital to the future success of the site.
Check BayToday for updates later
