TORONTO - Mining giant Vale Inco says it has the right to use non-striking workers to fill in at its operations in Sudbury, Ont., while the rest of its employees walk the picket lines.
Lawyers for the Brazilian company argued at an Ontario Labour Relations Board hearing that, just as workers have the right to strike, it has the right to replace them.
The United Steelworkers union accuses Vale of attempting to undermine the union by forcing non-striking members to do the work of their striking peers and threatening to discipline them if they refuse.
Vale has restarted a substantial portion of its Sudbury operations despite the ongoing strike by 3,000 mine and mill workers by replacing them with non-striking office and clerical workers.
The strike has been going on for nearly seven months.
