Hudbay is reporting fruitful talks with non-striking unions and production in line with yearly targets.
“Negotiations with the trades unions, electrical, boilermaker and carpenter workers, continued [last] week,” said Rob Winton, vice president, Manitoba Business Unit for Hudbay. “The talks have been productive and both sides are focused on achieving a mutually beneficial agreement.”
Hudbay has about two-thirds of its unionized workforce in Flin Flon-Snow Lake under contract until December 31, 2017.
The company is now attempting to reach deals with four of the five unsigned unions. As of Friday, there was no word on progress with the striking IAM Local 1848.
Meanwhile, any impact the IAM strike has had on production could become apparent later this summer.
Hudbay is due to release production and financial results from the second quarter of the year sometime after June 30.
If the strike is still ongoing at that time, the results will include nearly two complete months of production without IAM.
Winton said Friday that “safe production has been maintained at all of our operations with results that are in line with Hudbay’s 2015 production guidance.”
In order to meet its 2015 targets in Manitoba, Hudbay must exceed last year’s zinc production by at least 15 per cent and last year’s copper production by at least six per cent.
Production of precious metals can fall by as much as 0.8 per cent and remain on target.
It’s also possible that if Hudbay’s Constancia copper mine in Peru exceeds expectations, increased output could make up for any lost production in northern Manitoba (though Constancia does not produce zinc).
Elsewhere, IAM last week addressed “disparaging comments around town” regarding members who have found other employment during the strike.
“Some members have chosen to find temporary work; others have decided to leave Hudbay permanently,” the union said on its website, adding that “we cannot begrudge anyone who chooses to move on” and that the union “supports a member’s right to earn a livelihood.”
