Workers set up pickets at Sask. potash mine
Striking potash workers set up picket lines at a Saskatchewan mine site on Monday as the union representing employees and Potash Corp. continue to spar over a new contract.
The workers established the pickets at Potash's Cory mine site in order to highlight their dispute with the giant potash producer.
The United Steelworkers of Canada (USW) represent a total of 500 Potash employees, who have been without a contract since last April. The union said it has met with management more than 40 times since April in an effort to reach an agreement.
The main issues outstanding are wages, pensions and contracting out provisions.
"Our members don’t want a strike. What they want is a fair share of the success they helped to build," said Stephen Hunt, the USW's director for western Canada in a statement.
In its most recent report, Potash announced strong earnings for the second quarter, with a profit of $905 million on revenue of $2.6 billion. The earnings were more than 200 per cent higher than what the company made in the same quarter of 2007.
Last week, the Potash workers voted 96 per cent in favour of strike action.
Located six kilometres west of Saskatoon, the Cory facility employees 230 workers, according to company reports.
For its part, Potash said the mine had been closed for the past two weeks for routine maintenance. The job action only delayed its reopening, according to the company.
The USW is threatening to hold rotating strikes at three major Potash facilities, Cory, Allan and Patience Lake, all located in Saskatchewan.
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