BCFED calls on members not to handle Highland Valley Copper product amid strike

The more than 1,200 workers at Highland Valley Copper are prepared for the long haul as they push for better pay and pension protection. USW Local 7619 also wants Teck Resources to resolve health and safety issues and to address its ability to attract and retain skilled workers.

Workers at Highland Valley have been without a contract since Sept. 30 after their previous five-year contract – which was ratified following a strike vote in 2022 – expired. USW says its 944 members unanimously voted to strike two weeks later.

Despite the strike, Teck reported in its third-quarter conference call that production at Highland Valley Copper should come in at the high end of its targeted range this year. The company also reported an increase in third-quarter profits, helped by higher copper and zinc prices.

Profit attributable to shareholders amounted to $1.59 billion, or $3.24 per diluted share, up from $281 million, or 57 cents per diluted share, in the same quarter last year.

“Teck Resources is pulling in record profits. Yet they aren’t just failing to pay workers enough to retain them – they’re even asking for concessions,” added Scott Lunny, the Western Canada Director with the United Steelworkers.

“No company this profitable should be falling so far short of the wages and pensions they can afford to pay.”

In a previous statement, Teck said it has contingency plans in place, and that the impact on overall production at Highland Valley Copper will depend on how long the strike lasts.

“Teck is committed to reaching a collective agreement that is fair and reasonable for employees and supports the ongoing viability of the operation,” the company said.

Highland Valley Copper near Logan Lake is the largest open-pit copper mine in Canada, and a major expansion project to extend the life of the mine from 2028 to 2046, is ongoing.

by Aaron Schulze

BCFED calls on members not to handle Highland Valley Copper product amid strike

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