944 Members Back Strike at Highland Valley as Teck Keeps Mine Running at Reduced Capacity
Key Facts
Workers at Teck’s Highland Valley copper mine walked off the job at 8 a.m. local time on Saturday, October 24, after negotiations with the company stalled, according to coverage by CFGC Today. Teck said in an update that operations were continuing at reduced capacity and that the strike’s impact on overall production would depend on how long the labor action lasts. The walkout began without a complete shutdown of the mine, while the company did not specify the extent of the production decline. The development puts Highland Valley, Canada’s largest open-pit copper mine, in a labor dispute that could affect output for as long as it continues. The union represents more than 1,200 employees at the mine, according to CFGC Today.
The strike followed the expiration of the collective agreement on September 30, 2026, leaving workers without a contract after a previous five-year agreement expired, according to CFGC Today. The United Steelworkers union said all 944 members who took part in a strike-authorization vote supported the action, a 100% approval rate. That figure refers to voting participants, not the number of workers who began the strike. The union had said Tuesday’s negotiations ended without an agreement, while confirming it was prepared to continue talks during the 72-hour notice period. It added that the company’s revised financial offer remained below members’ expectations, while other outstanding concessions remained on the table.
The union’s demands center on addressing staffing shortages, improving wages and strengthening pensions, according to CFGC Today. Those demands concern employment conditions and compensation at a mine where the union represents more than 1,200 employees, the same report said. In its update at the start of the strike, Teck did not provide a quantitative estimate of potential lost production, saying only that the overall impact would depend on the duration of the labor action. Continued operations at reduced capacity mean activity has not stopped entirely, while the amount that will continue to be produced remains subject to how the dispute develops. Negotiations remain an option after the strike began, as the union said it was prepared to continue talks during the notice period.
Highland Valley produced 127,100 tonnes of copper in 2025, compared with 102,400 tonnes in 2024, according to Teck’s annual filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company attributed the increase mainly to higher ore grades and a higher mill processing rate, with a larger share of higher-grade Lornex ore mined. Teck said lower mill availability partially offset the increase. Last year’s performance provides a measure of the mine’s production before the strike, but does not by itself determine the effect of current reduced-capacity operations. The company maintained its 2026 production guidance at 115,000 to 135,000 tonnes, with 135,000 to 155,000 tonnes expected in 2027 and 100,000 to 120,000 tonnes in 2028.
The mine’s production outlook depends on its life-extension project, which aims to keep operations running from 2028 through 2046, with estimated average output of 132,000 tonnes of copper a year over the mine’s life, according to Teck. The company estimates the project will provide about 2,900 jobs during construction and support about 1,500 direct jobs once complete, while contributing an estimated 500 million Canadian dollars annually to gross domestic product. The project’s estimated capital cost is between 2.1 billion and 2.4 billion Canadian dollars. Chief Executive Jonathan Price called the project “a cornerstone of our strategy to double copper production by the end of the decade.” The company says the environmental assessment certificate and permits were issued in June 2025, the board approved proceeding in July, and construction began in August of that year.
EL7 data showed Teck’s share price fell from 64.33 on October 20 to 62.78 on October 21, then to 58.90 on October 22, before closing at 59.05 on October 23. These prices preceded the start of the strike on October 24 and do not by themselves establish the cause of the share-price movement. Teck is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, October 29. The company scheduled its results review for 8 a.m. Pacific time, or 11 a.m. Eastern time. The disclosure comes as the mine continues to operate at reduced capacity, while Teck says the impact on overall production will depend on the duration of the dispute.