SASKATOON (Staff) – While attention has focused on a possible rail strike, another labor dispute at the West Coast could be equally bad news for grain shippers.
Longshore foremen and their employers will be in a legal strike or lockout position on Feb. 18, following the release of a conciliator’s report Feb. 10.
One west coast grain industry official said a strike or lockout on the waterfront would be worse than a rail strike.
The railways may be able to keep some grain moving in the event of a walkout, said Bob Butler, manager of Alberta Wheat Pool’s Vancouver terminal.
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“But if the longshoremen go down, obviously it’s more of an impact because you won’t be shipping grain which means you’ll plug up pretty quick,” he said.
Minister urges settlement
In releasing the conciliator’s report, federal human resources development minister Lloyd Axworthy urged the two sides to use the report as the basis for a settlement.
“It is time for the parties to accept their responsibility and avoid a repetition of industry work stoppages in 1992 and 1994,” he said.
Meanwhile, as of press time the minister had not released the Feb. 6 conciliator’s report in a dispute between CN and CP Rail and some of their unionized employees. The two sides will be in a legal strike or lockout position seven days after it is released.
Alternate plans
The unions have not said whether they will strike, or if they do, whether it will be a full-scale national strike, aimed at one railway, or a rotating strike. CP has said it will try to keep operating with management performing unionized jobs. CN has not announced any contingency plans.
Grain shippers like the Canadian Wheat Board are evaluating alternate transportation plans. But whatever can be arranged will fall far short of the export demand.
“We’ve got such an aggressive program on right now that any sort of disruption would throw us into a bit of a crisis,” said CWB information officer Deanna Allen.
There is a general expectation in the grain industry that the federal government would not let a rail strike or lockout go on for long before intervening.
Allen said the board has made its views on that subject known to Axworthy: “No strike is our best option, a short-lived one would be number two.”
