Newsroom
2002
November 7, 2002
CWB renews calls for resolution in west coast labour dispute
Winnipeg -- Prairie farmers, already hard-hit by drought and poor harvest conditions, cannot be held hostage to a labour dispute that has brought exports through the West Coast to a halt. That message was delivered today by the CWB in a letter to the federal government urging Cabinet to take immediate steps to avert further disruptions to Canadian grain movement and to preserve Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier of grain.
Action is immediately required in light of Monday’s British Columbia Court of Appeal decision that has allowed Vancouver grain workers to set up pickets at the port of Prince Rupert. An injunction preventing them from picketing had previously been put in place as a result of the B.C. Terminal Elevator Operator Association’s lock out of grain workers at Vancouver and ensuing attempts to prevent grain from being loaded onto ships at Prince Rupert.
“This labour dispute is completely outside farmers’ control,” said Ken Ritter, chair of the CWB’s farmer-controlled board of directors. “There is no way that farmers should suffer because grain companies and their employees cannot come to an agreement. The economic impact on the farming community and the Prairie grain industry as a whole, especially this year, is too great.”
Today’s letter to the federal government points out that farmers and their customers have already incurred significant costs related to diverting grain shipments and vessels from the shutdown Vancouver port to Prince Rupert. “A complete shutdown of West Coast grain
terminals is completely unacceptable to the operations of Canada’s grain customers and to the farmers who produce quality grain for these customers,” the letter reads.
The farmer-controlled board of directors is calling on government to order the removal of pickets at the port of Prince Rupert and failing that, to enact emergency back-to-work legislation at the port of Vancouver so as to protect farmer returns in a year where every dollar counts.
Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. As one of Canada’s biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less the costs of marketing, to Prairie farmers.
For further information, contact:
Louise Waldman
CWB Media Relations Manager
Tel: 1-204-983-3101