(Adds statement from Rio Tinto)
July 25 (Reuters) - Canadian union Unifor said on Sunday
about 900 workers had started strike action at global miner Rio
Tinto's operations in the western Canadian province of
British Columbia.
Unifor issued a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday after
nearly seven weeks of unproductive talks over proposed changes
to workers' retirement benefits and unresolved grievances.
In an emailed statement to Reuters, a spokesperson for the
miner said that the union refused the company’s proposal to
request the intervention of a mediator.
"Rio Tinto has made every effort to reach a mutually
beneficial agreement through negotiating with Unifor over the
past seven weeks, and will continue to do so," the company said
in the statement.
The union represents about 900 workers at the miner's
aluminium smelting plant in Kitimat and power generating
facility in Kemano.
"Rio Tinto was given every opportunity to reach a fair deal
but showed complete disregard for our issues," the union said in
a statement.
Unifor said it was committed to resolving the labour dispute
amicably and urged the company's management to reach a fair
settlement.
The company said that required staff and employees are now
taking on operational duties to ensure the smelter and
powerhouse continue to function safely.
Rio had earlier sought an order from the province's labour
relations board declaring power plant workers essential,
according to a union bulletin.
(Reporting by Rithika Krishna in Bengaluru and Jeff Lewis in
Toronto; Additional reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Vishal
Vivek in Bengaluru
Editing by Mark Potter and Grant McCool)
Rio Tinto (RIO)
