Vale announced on Sunday it reached a preliminary agreement with workers at its Sudbury nickel and copper unit in Canada, ending a year-long strike. A formal deal will be signed today, and about 3,000 workers will be back at the plant. Now the Brazilian giant plans to reach a similar deal at the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine, where an 11-month strike goes on.

Mediators called off talks aimed at ending the Sudbury strike last week because of a deadlock over eight or nine workers who were fired. The union wanted the company to allow the dismissed employees to get their jobs back.