Operations at Teck Coal’s Elkview mine, located three kilometres east of Sparwood, have been at a standstill since Sunday, Jan. 30th after 98 per cent of its steelworkers workforce went on strike.
The strike began after the United Steelworkers Local 9346 union, representing more than 700 workers, served the company with a 72-hour strike notice on Jan. 27th, following failed contract negotiations between the union’s bargaining committee and the company over employee pension plans and retiree benefits.
The open pit mine implemented an orderly shutdown on Jan. 30th, and production is on hold until further notice.
The strike at Elkview, Teck’s second largest producer of the metallurgical coal used to make steel, is the second the company has experienced in the last six months.
The previous strike occurred at the Coal Mountain mine, located 30 kilometres southeast of Sparwood, and lasted six weeks.
Analysts expect an extended strike at the Elkview mine could pose significant problems in the international coal market, which is already struggling after extensive flooding in the Australian state of Queensland.