Production at Cameco’s McArthur River mine and Key Lake mill has now been suspended for five days as the result of a labour dispute.
About 535 unionized members of the United Steelworkers Local 8914 at the uranium mining company’s two northern operations have been on strike since Saturday.
Cameco spokesperson Robert Gereghty says management made what it feels was a fair and competitive contract offer in the final hours of negotiations on Friday but it was rejected by the union.
“We made a fair and competitive final offer that included increases and enhancements over the last contract which already provided an attractive, competitive compensation package,” he says. “The union bargaining committee rejected the offer and we had asked that they present the offer to their members but that was refused. Obviously we’re disappointed.”
However, union spokesperson Mike Pulak says they are looking for an improved pension plan and compensation for travel, both of which the company is refusing to budge on.
“Through the whole conciliation process we finalized some language but we never really got any movement on any of the benefits or wages and no movement on pension,” he says.
Pulak also says the union is unhappy Cameco asked for an additional 24 workers, as part of an essential services agreement, to complete some last minute production rather than improving its contract proposal.
Tim Darke is one of about 60 unionized workers picketing outside Cameco’s head office on 11th Street West in Saskatoon.
The workers have been there since the weekend.
“We’d rather be back at work but we’re here to support our membership, to support our bargaining committee, to support our northern members of the union as well,” he says.
The union members have been without a contract since December 2013.
This is the first strike in Cameco’s history.
Both sides say there are no new scheduled talks for contract negotiations at this time.