Hours before workers at one of Canada’s largest meat packing plants were set to go on strike, the provincial government stepped in and called a halt to the strike for 60 days.
The 2,400 workers at Tyson’s Lakeside meat packing plant in Brooks, Alta., were set to walk off the job July 20. The day before, Alberta human resources and employment minister Mike Cardinal appointed a one-person Disputes Inquiry Board, or DIB, to review the issues and see if the two sides could come to an agreement on a first contract.
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This is only the third time in 20 years the government has used the board. One of the previous times was during a strike at the Gainers meat packing plant in Edmonton.
Doug O’Halloran, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, Local 401, said the announcement of the board appointment was unexpected to him and the workers who have been trying to get a contract with the American company for almost a year.
“It was a shock to us,” said O’Halloran, who believes the provincial government was under pressure to not allow a strike in a beef packing plant because the cattle industry has only started to regain strength.
O’Halloran believes it’s a thinly disguised attempt to stop the union from getting a contract with the meat packing plant.
“It’s all really, really fishy,” he said.
By the time the report from the board is filed there will only be about 10 days left before the 120-day strike notice period expires. Workers voted earlier this spring by a little more than 50 percent to strike.
Leanne Strangeland, director of communications with Alberta Human Resources, said the minister was not under pressure from any organization to stop the strike. Instead, the minister was concerned about the welfare of the 2,400 employees who would be on the picket line.
“That’s a pretty significant number of people to be on strike,” she said.
Strangeland said the minister hopes John Moreau, the appointed mediator, will be able to reach a settlement. Any proposed settlement by Moreau is not binding.
Workers are hoping to get a first contract similar to what workers have at Cargill Foods in High River, Alberta’s other main meat packing plant.
In a written statement, Tyson officials said the government appointed the board because “it’s important that no stone be left unturned to protect Alberta producers and consumers. The company respects that decision and understands that the government has to look after the public’s interests.
“The minister strongly encouraged the parties to continue negotiations to achieve settlement. We will take the minister’s recommendation seriously and respect his advice. We will do our best to negotiate an agreement with the union with comfort that a DIB is in place to offer assistance and guidance to the parties. All of the stakeholders, including the company, the union, the employees, producers and consumers will have the benefit of access to the DIB recommendations.”
