Close X
Friday, November 22, 2024
ADVT 
National

Picket lines go up as strike begins at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Sep, 2024 04:23 PM
  • Picket lines go up as strike begins at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver

Picket lines have gone up at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver as about 600 workers begin a strike.

Canada's labour minister, meanwhile, says he spoke with both the employer and representatives of Grain Workers Union Local 333 on Monday, and they have agreed to resume contract negotiations alongside federal mediators.

Steven MacKinnon posted the message on the social media platform X, saying Canadian farmers had a "bumper crop" and they need to get it to market.

Union president Douglas Lea-Smith says the labour minister's involvement is a positive step, and there is a meeting scheduled Wednesday between the union and the employer to try to resolve the "impasse" arising from bargaining so far.

Lea-Smith says the employer, the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association, had not "meaningfully engaged" during a dozen days of bargaining ahead of further negotiations with help from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

A statement issued by the Shipping Federation of Canada over the weekend said the union and the association concluded conciliation with help from the federal service on Aug. 26, but could not come to an agreement on a new contract.

The 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.

The union has said it provided the employer with a "comprehensive package" last Thursday, but the next day, the association indicated it had no counter offer.

But Lea-Smith said the association released a "full proposal" directly to workers, sidestepping the union.

"They just walked right around us because they believe that we don't represent our members, even though we're elected by our members," he said.

The major sticking point in the negotiations relates to time in lieu, he said.

"There are some minor monetary issues, but for the most part, it's largely over earned time-off days, which we call lieu days," he said.

Lea-Smith said the employer is trying to remove lieu days, and the strike action will continue in order to apply pressure at the bargaining table.

The lieu days stretch back to binding arbitration in 2002, when the workers moved to an round-the-clock operation, he said.

"Grain workers in 2002, on a pro rata basis, compared to today, earned more money than we do," he said.

It's the first time the union local has gone on strike since about 1970, he said.

MORE National ARTICLES

Nurse-patient ratios at B.C. hospitals set to expand in fall, says health minister

Nurse-patient ratios at B.C. hospitals set to expand in fall, says health minister
British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says minimum nurse-to-patient ratios meant to improve care and strengthen the health-care system have now been established for most hospital settings. He says the nurse-to-patient ratios have been determined for more hospital settings, including emergency departments, maternity units and operating rooms.

Nurse-patient ratios at B.C. hospitals set to expand in fall, says health minister

Conservatives' non-confidence motion will make no mention of carbon price

Conservatives' non-confidence motion will make no mention of carbon price
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has confirmed he will ask the other opposition parties to bring down the Liberal government next week with a non-confidence motion. A Conservative spokesperson said the motion will simply say the House has no confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government.

Conservatives' non-confidence motion will make no mention of carbon price

Account tweaks for young Instagram users 'minimum' expected by B.C., David Eby says

Account tweaks for young Instagram users 'minimum' expected by B.C., David Eby says
Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the "minimum" expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online. The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.

Account tweaks for young Instagram users 'minimum' expected by B.C., David Eby says

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