TORONTO, Dec. 15 /CNW/ - Vale Inco Newfoundland & Labrador (VINL) does not believe a last minute meeting unilaterally organized by USW in Happy Valley - Goose Bay tomorrow (Wednesday) is a genuine or meaningful opportunity to engage in negotiations to resolve the strike.

From the Company's perspective the request received today is nothing but an attempt by USW to mitigate the damage done by snubbing the Conciliation Officer and VINL by refusing to participate in a scheduled meeting Monday.

VINL respects the important role played by Conciliation Officers in collective bargaining. In this particular case, it was the USW that asked the provincial government to appoint a Conciliation Officer to work with the parties to help find a path forward. Unfortunately, the union's actions since the Conciliation Officer was appointed show that they pursued the shortest possible route to put our employees in a legal strike position rather than sit down and negotiate a new collective agreement. USW has done nothing but abuse the collective bargaining process. This is evidenced by the fact that on December 4, 2009 USW asked the Conciliation Officer to schedule a meeting with Vale Inco to resume negotiations. By December 8th the Conciliation Officer had invited the parties to attend meetings in St. John's on December 14th and 15th. USW chose not to attend.

These tactics are a clear indication that USW is not prepared to engage in meaningful negotiations. In the event it is determined that there is sufficient basis to move forward with meetings at a future date, we are fully prepared to participate. For further information visit www.vinlnegotiations.com.