Close X
Friday, November 22, 2024
ADVT 
National

Grain farmers urge intervention as Metro Vancouver terminal workers prep strike

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Sep, 2024 01:27 PM
  • Grain farmers urge intervention as Metro Vancouver terminal workers prep strike

Canada's grain farmers say a strike at Metro Vancouver terminals would cripple crop exports if it were allowed to take place.

The Grain Growers of Canada say in a statement that it is "deeply concerned" about a potential strike of grain workers in Metro Vancouver, since about 52 per cent of all Canadian-grown grain went to those terminals last year.

Grain farmers say a strike would "halt nearly 100,000 metric tonnes" of commodities arriving each day, potentially costing $35 million daily in lost exports.

The response comes after the union representing grain workers at terminals in Metro Vancouver said it has served their employer with a 72-hour strike notice.

The Grain Workers Union Local 333 says in a statement posted to Facebook that its strike will start at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association says affected operations include Viterra's Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, Richardson International Terminal, Cargill Limited Terminal, G3 Terminal Vancouver and Alliance Grain Terminal, all located in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

"Grain farmers in the prairies rely heavily on the Port of Vancouver to handle and export the majority of the grain they grow," the statement from the Grain Growers of Canada says. "Following last month's rail work stoppages, this strike will have an equally devastating impact on grain farmers across the prairies who are in the midst of harvest."

The group is also urging federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to "use all tools available" to prevent a work stoppage from coming to pass.

"Without intervention, Canada’s international trading reputation will continue to suffer, leading to the loss of key global markets and customers," the Grain Growers' statement says.

Grain Workers Union Local 333 says the union's bargaining committee made the decision to issue a strike notice after the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association "invested very little effort" during negotiations last week.

The union says it's now up to the employer to present a proposal for a new contract, and workers have provided a "comprehensive package" last Thursday with the association indicating the next day it had no counter offer.

It's statement says the union's shop committees will advise members of their picketing duties before the start of the strike Tuesday morning. 

"You are required to leave the terminal at that time if you are working," the statement says to workers.

"Your union will not bargain against itself," the grain workers statement says. "We will await their proposal if, and when, it comes, and respond accordingly." 

A statement issued by the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association says it concluded conciliation with the union with assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Aug. 26.

It says it could not come to an agreement on a new contract and the union has been in a legal strike position since last Tuesday.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Targeted stabbing in Langley

Targeted stabbing in Langley
R-C-M-P in Langley are investigating a stabbing that sent a 26-year-old man to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Mounties say officers responded to a stabbing report in the 203-hundred block of Douglas Crescent just after 8:15 a-m this morning.

Targeted stabbing in Langley

Activist sues India in U.S. court over alleged plot that killed B.C. Sikh leader

Activist sues India in U.S. court over alleged plot that killed B.C. Sikh leader
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, with the group Sikhs for Justice, says the civil lawsuit in the U.S. district court for southern New York is aimed at holding the Indian government accountable for alleged involvement in the shooting death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last year and a plot on Pannun soon after. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., has not responded to a request for comment.

Activist sues India in U.S. court over alleged plot that killed B.C. Sikh leader

Calgary man sentenced to six years in prison for sharing terrorism videos on TikTok

Calgary man sentenced to six years in prison for sharing terrorism videos on TikTok
A Calgary man who admitted to sharing Islamic State recruitment videos and propaganda on TikTok has been sentenced to six years in prison. Zakarya Rida Hussein, 20, was sentenced in court Friday after he earlier pleaded guilty to one of four terrorism-related charges.

Calgary man sentenced to six years in prison for sharing terrorism videos on TikTok

Surrey ER doctors call for 'new leadership' amid 'toxic' work environment

Surrey ER doctors call for 'new leadership' amid 'toxic' work environment
A letter sent to the president of Fraser Health Authority Dr. Victoria Lee, and published online, warns that deteriorating conditions in the department are "unequivocally leading to substandard care" and creating an "increasingly toxic work environment."

Surrey ER doctors call for 'new leadership' amid 'toxic' work environment

Report charts path for Canada to show importance to United States

Report charts path for Canada to show importance to United States
While Canada cannot escape the gravitational pull of an increasingly unstable United States, a new report is charting a path forward to ensure Canadian interests become more important to our closest neighbour. The report, which will be released publicly Wednesday, suggests Canada should deepen co-operation with America in key sectors now.

Report charts path for Canada to show importance to United States

Former cabinet minister appeals to Elections B.C. to register New Liberal Party of BC

Former cabinet minister appeals to Elections B.C. to register New Liberal Party of BC
Former federal cabinet minister Herb Dhaliwal says he wants to revive a liberal party for those left politically homeless in British Columbia after the BC United Party suspended its campaign in the upcoming provincial election. Dhaliwal says he wants "moderate, centrist" voters to get behind the New Liberal Party of BC in time for the election on October 19. 

Former cabinet minister appeals to Elections B.C. to register New Liberal Party of BC