Close to midnight on December 30, 2011, after many hours of contract negotiation, Rio Tinto Alcan illegally locked out the workers at its smelter in Alma, Que., 24 hours before it had the legal right to do so.
The Issues
Preserving good jobs for the future
Workers at Rio Tinto Alcan’s (RTA) aluminum smelter in Alma, Que., are not demanding higher wages or enhanced benefits. Their primary concern is protecting jobs for future generations. Rio Tinto wants to use more subcontractors to replace the good jobs of unionized workers as they retire.