Workers at a Lethbridge canola processing plant have rejected Richardson Oilseed’s latest contract offer by nearly 80 percent.
The vote by about140 workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) saw union members reject a five-year deal that would have increased annual pay by between two and 2.5 percent.
Workers at the plant have been without a contract since August 2019 with the rejected proposal set to run until August 2023.
The contract proposal also offered pension and benefit improvements.
While union members have rejected the offer, no strike vote has been scheduled. A statement on the UFCW website states the union will look to secure a third-party mediator to help settle the labour dispute.
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federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
A statement from the UFCW negotiations committee indicated the union hopes to resume contract talks with Richardson, but it doesn’t reject the possibility of future job action.
“Like a decisive strike vote, a rejected ratification vote often inspires employers to look more seriously into their profits,” read the Dec. 20 statement. “No matter how they rationalize it, they know a strike will cost them money.”
In combination with the Richardson Oilseed plant in Yorkton, Sask., the company processes 1.6 million tonnes of canola seed annually and produces 700,000 tonnes of oil along with close to one million tonnes of meal.
