Vale No-Show at Brazilian Senate Hearing

NORTHERN LIFE - Vale S.A., the parent company of Vale Inco, failed to show up at a senate hearing in Brazil, where USW officials from Canada were to speak. 

Officials from Vale S.A., the parent company of Vale Inco, failed to show up at a Dec. 10 senate hearing in Brazil, where United Steelworkers officials from Canada were due to speak.

The hearing was set up for the Brazilian senators to hear about ongoing labour disputes between Vale Inco in Canada and about 3,500 Steelworkers members in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ont. and Voisey's Bay, Nfld.

The United Steelworkers Canadian national director, Ken Neumann, is in Brazil this week, accompanied by Steelworkers Local 6500 president Rick Bertrand, and Steelworkers Local 9508 president Darren Cove (who represents 120 striking workers in Voisey's Bay).

All three union leaders spoke to the media from Brazil during a teleconference this morning.

Brazilian Senator Paulo Paim, who set up the hearing, had already been persuaded by Vale to change it from a public hearing to a private hearing, said Neumann.

“The Steelworkers had agreed to that change of venue because we looked at the importance of trying to set the stage to get back to the bargaining table,” Neumann said.

“We were also informed that they would have high-ranking officials that would be at this private hearing, to be held today.”

Vale has “shown its arrogance” by not showing up at the private hearings, said Neumann. At one point during the hearings, the Brazilian senator running the session received a phone call from a Vale official, who asked if the hearings were still going ahead, despite their absence.


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