The Grain Workers Union Local 333 and the employer, the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association (VTEA), have been in labour negotiations since November 2023. However, after the contract expired in December, negotiations reached an impasse, and the union issued a strike notice on September 21 of this year.
The issues at stake are wages, pensions, benefits and schedules. The strikes are taking place at six terminals in Vancouver and North Vancouver, where more than 50 percent of Canada’s grain was produced last year, and the impact on the economy and supply chain is huge, with each day the strikes cost the country $35 million in lost exports, according to producers’ organization Grain Growers of Canada (GGC).
With unions and employers exchanging accusations, producers are concerned about the harvest season and the GGC is calling for the federal government to step in. Labour Minister Stephen McKinnon posted on Twitter that he met with both sides on the 23rd and that the two have agreed to resume negotiations under government mediation.
CTV News Online quoted Sylvain Charlebois, a professor at Dalhousie University who specializes in food policy, as saying that “it could have an impact on food security,” and that if the strike continues for more than a week, consumers could face shortages and higher prices.