Talks are on between Maple Leaf Foods and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
But it’s too early to tell whether the two sides of the hog plant labor war have come close enough to reach a truce, said union negotiator Kip Connolly.
“We won’t really know till we get there,” said Connolly. “We’ll meet and see what the parties have to say.”
Talks between Maple Leaf and negotiators for the locked-out Hamilton and North Battleford bacon plant workers started last week.
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Maple Leaf spokesperson Carolyn Penton described the North Battleford talks as “preliminary,” with more detailed discussions planned Feb. 10, 11 and 12.
The company and representatives of the Hamilton workers have had about five days of negotiation, Penton said, and are furthest along.
The two sides have made good progress, said Penton.
Talks about the Burlington hog slaughter and processing plant, where 900 workers are on strike, were set to open Jan. 28 and 29.
Maple Leaf locked out the North Battleford workers on Aug. 31, and the Hamilton workers on Oct. 4. The Burlington workers went on strike Nov. 15, followed by workers at the Edmonton hog slaughter and processing plant on Nov. 17.
Plant won’t reopen
There are no talks scheduled for Edmonton, where Maple Leaf says it has permanently closed its plant.
The big war between Maple Leaf and the union broke out over the company’s drive to cut wages by up to $6 per hour in Burlington and to give small pay increases in Edmonton. Maple Leaf said it needed lower wages to compete with big American processors.
