Aluminium plant threatened with strike
Photo: Ómar Óskarsson mbl.is/Ómar Óskarsson
Workers at the Rio Tinto Alcan aluminium smelter in Straumsvík, South-West Iceland, could come out on strike from tomorrow if no solution is found to a row over working conditions.
A short and inconclusive round of talks yesterday failed to resolve the dispute between the operators of the plant and its workers, and if there is no breakthrough today, strike action will begin at midnight tonight.
Should it come to industrial action, workers will continue to turn up for work for the next two weeks, but only in order to gradually shut down the plant’s 480 electrolysis pots, which are used to smelt the aluminium.
The main issue at stake is the demand of Rio Tinto employees for no new contracting powers for operations at the plant to be authorised.
