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

RCMP feared they didn't have enough evidence to hold terror suspect sought by U.S.

RCMP feared they didn't have enough evidence to hold terror suspect sought by U.S.
Court documents filed in the case of a Pakistani man arrested in Quebec for an alleged plot to kill Jews in New York City reveal the RCMP didn't have enough evidence to hold him in Canada. The RCMP arrested Muhammad Shahzeb Khan on Sept. 4 in Ormstown, Que., as he allegedly prepared to cross the nearby border into the United States.

RCMP feared they didn't have enough evidence to hold terror suspect sought by U.S.

B.C. short-term rental restrictions reducing rents, saving tenants millions: study

B.C. short-term rental restrictions reducing rents, saving tenants millions: study
Crackdowns on short-term rentals in British Columbia have effectively reduced rents by 5.7 per cent, saving tenants more than $600 million last year, says a report led by the Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance at McGill University. That figure is the result of municipal restrictions, in particular requirements that short-term rental units must be located within the operator's principal residence.

B.C. short-term rental restrictions reducing rents, saving tenants millions: study

C-T scanners at Canadian airports

C-T scanners at Canadian airports
C-T scanners are being put to use at Canada's airports for security screening, meaning travellers can soon leave their liquids, medical devices and large electronics in their carry-ons.  The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority made the announcement in Vancouver today, where the first installation of the new technology is in place. 

C-T scanners at Canadian airports

4 trucks involved in Prince George crash

4 trucks involved in Prince George crash
No one was seriously hurt when four trucks were involved in a crash on Highway 97 near Prince George. Police say it happened yesterday near the Davie East Forest Service Road. 

4 trucks involved in Prince George crash

Canada has become 'playground' for foreign interference, Tory MP Chong tells inquiry

Canada has become 'playground' for foreign interference, Tory MP Chong tells inquiry
A Conservative MP who was targeted by Beijing told a federal inquiry Wednesday that Canada has become "a playground" for foreign interference.  Michael Chong, the Tory foreign affairs critic, said the federal government should shed its culture of secrecy and disclose more information about threats to better inform the public. 

Canada has become 'playground' for foreign interference, Tory MP Chong tells inquiry

Ottawa announces it's further reducing the number of international student permits

Ottawa announces it's further reducing the number of international student permits
The Liberal government will slash the number of internationalstudent visas it processes by another 10 per cent. The government says the new target for 2025 and 2026 will be 437,000 permits. In 2024 the target was 485,000 permits.

Ottawa announces it's further reducing the number of international student permits