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Timmins, Ontario September 22, 2011
Xstrata Copper Canada is pleased to announce that members of CAW-Local 599 have ratified a new three-year collective agreement at its Kidd Metallurgical Site in Timmins.
“Our goal is to maximize the value of the Kidd ore body and extend its operational life through safe and cost efficient mining and milling operations. The new collective agreement, which balances the needs of the employees, the Union and the Company, will help contribute to the achievement of this goal. I am pleased with the commitment shown by our employees and look forward to continuing to work together in the future,” stated Tom Semadeni, General Manager of Kidd Operations.
The open dialogue and collaborative atmosphere between both bargaining teams were key factors in getting a new contract nine days before the end of the collective agreement. The new collective agreement will become effective on October 1, 2011.
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Media contact
Louis-Philippe Gariepy
Manager, Corporate Affairs
T: +1 514 645 2311 ext. 2162
E: lpgariepy@xstratacopper.ca
Notes to editors
ABOUT XSTRATA PLC
Xstrata is a global diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss Stock Exchanges. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Xstrata maintains a meaningful position in seven major international commodity markets: copper, coking coal, thermal coal, ferrochrome, nickel, vanadium and zinc with additional exposure to gold, cobalt, lead and silver. The Xstrata Group also comprises a growing platinum group metals business, iron ore projects, recycling facilities and a suite of global technology products, many of which are industry leaders. The Group's operations and projects span 20 countries.
ABOUT XSTRATA COPPER
Xstrata Copper is the fourth largest global copper producer with attributable mined production in 2010 of 913,500 tonnes of copper in cathodes and concentrates. The company is also one of the world’s largest producers of smelter and refined copper, including from third party materials.
Headquartered in Brisbane, Xstrata Copper is one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Its mining and metallurgical operations and development projects span eight countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Peru, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the USA. Its operations and projects are administered through a regional divisional management structure, which ensures that critical decisions are taken close to the related businesses. It also has a recycling business (Xstrata Recycling) with plants in the United States and offices in Canada and Asia.
ABOUT KIDD OPERATIONS
Located in Timmins, Ontario, the Kidd Operations consist of the Kidd Mine and Kidd Concentrator and are focused on developing and sustaining economic mining plans for the Kidd Creek ore body, which is currently mined through two separate shafts known as No. 2 and No. 4. Production operations reached a depth of 9,200 feet (2,800m) in 2009, making the operation the deepest base metal mine in the world. In the last few years Xstrata Copper has made a commitment to invest more than US$100 million in the Kidd Mine to expand the work site to 9,500 feet, which will prolong the mine’s life to 2017.
Xstrata Copper and its predecessors have been mining the Kidd Creek copper/zinc deposits since 1966.