Canada: Agriculture concerned as strike continues

As the federal civil service strike by about 155,000 union members entered its seventh day, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan urged a quick resolution.

APAS has written to federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau to express its concerns about the strike, as the Western Canadian Wheat Growers did last week.

About 3,000 of the workers are in agriculture-related jobs, including Canadian Grain Commission inspectors.

Picket lines went up at Viterra terminals in Vancouver and Montreal on April 24 to protest the fact that inspections are being done by grain companies or third parties they have hired. Samples are then sent to the CGC for grading and certification.

“Our supply chain has not fully recovered from the impacts of COVID-19, and a prolonged labour disruption impacting exports will be a major blow to producers,” said APAS president Ian Boxall in a news release.

“Delayed inspections will cause backlogs at ports. Every day a ship must wait means demurrage charges to grain companies, and these costs always make their way to the farmer.”

APAS said with spring seeding nearly here, farmers do not need to be worried about disruptions at ports.

Viterra did not respond to a request for information on if and how the picket line was affecting operations at the Cascadia Terminal.

Meanwhile, in the House of Commons April 24, Treasury Board president Mona Fortier said the Public Service Alliance of Canada had come to the table with 570 demands but only a handful remained.

She released a letter noting four key outstanding requests: wage increases, making telework a negotiated right for some employees, a ban on contracting out and a requirement that if the work force must be reduced decisions would be based on seniority.

“There is a competitive deal on the table,” Fortier said during question period.

“But PSAC continues to insist on demands that are unaffordable and would severely impact our ability to deliver services to Canadians.”

Treasury Board has offered a nine-percent wage increase over three years. The union wants 13.5 percent for most of the workers but 22.5 percent for the 35,000 who work for Canada Revenue Agency.

Tags: grain companies, protest, inspections, Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, resolution, APAS, Western Canadian Wheat Growers, farmers, ban, strike, Canadian Grain Commission