Southwire sees no aluminum supply disruption from Century lockout
By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) - Cable and wire manufacturer Southwire has taken steps to ensure supplies to its Kentucky rod plant continue, a spokesman said on Tuesday, as a lockout at supplier Century Aluminum Co's nearby smelter enters its second week.
"We have taken steps to ensure that we have an adequate supply of aluminum, and we are continuing with current production plans," spokesman Gary Leftwich said on Tuesday, without disclosing further details.
Southwire, which buys aluminum from Century's Hawesville smelter for its aluminum rod, wire and cable plant next door, used to own the plant, but sold it to Century in 2001.
Unionized workers have been locked out of the 244,000-tonne-per-year smelter since last Tuesday after they rejected for a third time a labor deal agreed between the union's negotiating committee and management.
Century, controlled by Glencore Plc, does not expect production to be affected at the smelter during the dispute, Century spokesman Kenny Barkley said on Tuesday.
Barkley said Century was "committed to the bargaining process" and that its previous offer remained on the table for union ratification.
United Steelworkers Local 9423, which represents the more-than 560 locked-out workers at the smelter, wants to restart negotiations with the company, president Andy Meserve said.
"We don't want to be locked out. We want a deal," Meserve said.
While the union has reached out to Century, no dates have been set for further talks, he added.
The company has hired temporary, non-union workers to operate the facility during the lockout, Meserve said, noting that several temporary workers had shadowed union workers and undergone training before the lockout began.
Negotiations continued on-and-off for six weeks after the previous five-year contract expired on March 31. Health insurance and wages were two sticking points in the negotiations.
(Editing by Andre Grenon)
