Viterra calls for help from federal conciliator
After more than six months of negotiating with unionized staff, Regina-based Viterra has applied for help from a federal government conciliator.
That keeps the parties talking, but potentially opens the door to either a strike or lockout in the future, said Hugh Wagner, general secretary of the Grain Services Union.
It represents staff in GSU Locals 1 and 2 — respectively, about 375 staff at inland grain terminals and elevators plus 75 in Viterra’s Regina head office, though Wagner said this fluctuates by season.
The previous collective agreement expired on Oct. 31.
In a statement issued Friday, Viterra confirmed the request and said, “It is Viterra’s hope that an independent conciliator will help us to arrive at a common understanding of what is best for our collective agreements. ”
By law and because grainhandling work necessarily covers several provinces, the federal government’s labour officials have jurisdiction — rather than the provincial government and its labour relations board.
Wagner said the application to the federal labour minister gives her ministry 15 days to appoint one of its staff conciliators to work with the parties. Once this starts, the conciliator has 60 days to seek a deal unless this time period is extended.
That would be followed by a 21day cooling off period, after which there potentially could be a lockout, strike or both, he said.
Wagner said Viterra and the GSU began talking in August, started formal negotiations in October and met as recently as January.
At issue are hours of work, particularly in grainhandling facilities, he said, adding Viterra’s proposals would “take us back in time.”
Specifically, he said the grainhandling firm proposes to introduce averaging of work hours for staff “already struggling because they’re at the beck and call of the employer to fill railcars.”
He said Viterra also has proposed reductions to compensation for staff caught in “workplace adjustments” or layoffs that would cost them, on average, $21,000.
It is Viterra’s hope that an independent conciliator will help us to arrive at a common understanding of what is best for our collective agreements.