Abitibi-Consolidated and its striking Communications, Energy, and Papermakers union locals are heading back to the bargaining table Friday morning in Montreal.
This development comes after a 10-day stalemate in contract negotiations as each side waited for the other to make the first move.
“The conciliators put out an invitation for us to come back together,” noted Susan Rogers, Abitibi’s vice-president of corporate communications, adding both the company and CEP agreed to that.
But whether this means a deal is in the offing isn’t known. The union last week rejected the company’s six-year contract offer by a 97.4 percent margin–and Rogers didn’t know if either side was coming in with an offer or counter-offer.
“Our position is that it’s the company’s move,” Cecil Makowski, CEP administrative vice-president for the Ontario region, said late Tueday, noting the union membership spoke loud and clear when it rejected the company’s first offer.
“We’ll wait and see what happens when we get there,” he added.
Rogers suspected the conciliators would start them from points they could agree on and work from there.
“Any time we’re talking is a good sign,” she added.
The union’s negotiating team had recommended its members reject the company’s last offer, which Abitibi said offered job security, a competitive wage increase, and improved pension plan.
But the union argued its members would have to foot the bill for that pension plan increase.
The proposed six-year deal included a one-percent wage increase effective May 1, ’98 and again May 1, ’99, followed by a two percent increase in each of the three following years, and then a 2.5 percent increase in 2003.
The offer also included a $1,000 signing bonus for most employees.
The strike has idled 10 Abitibi-Consolidated mills since June 15.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
