Brandon workers have no reason to fear a future tainted by labor unrest once the giant Maple Leaf pork plant sets up shop here, said the country’s foremost pork baron.
Michael McCain told a packed Brandon auditorium that because messy labor disputes tarnish four other Maple Leaf plants in Canada, it doesn’t mean Brandon will follow suit.
“We have 100 collective labor agreements and no issues at 96 of them,” McCain said during the Jan. 28 public forum.
But Bob Derouin, who took advantage of the public question period to raise the prickly issue, said he’s still not consoled.
Read Also
Lethbridge Polytechnic receives major donation
Multimillion-dollar donation by Hranac family aids Lethbridge Polytechnic’s research in integrated food production systems, irrigation science and post-harvest technology in Alberta
“It might be all right for the first little love-in session,” said Derouin following the forum.
“He can sugar coat it all he wants, but he said himself he tries to get things at the lowest cost, employees included.”
McCain told the crowd Maple Leaf is determined to grow and compete in the world marketplace. That means labor costs have to be competitive with pork plants south of the border.
“We cannot survive in a business where our labor costs are 35 to 50 percent higher than our competitors,” he said.
That’s what has evolved at the company’s Burlington, Ont. plant after 30 years in operation, McCain said.
“We’ve had to take a position that was pretty difficult and unpleasant for all parties.”
But there shouldn’t be a repeat performance here, he said.
“We will have a world-class plant and I presume people will be satisfied with the terms of employment when we start up and I don’t anticipate a problem like that here,” McCain said, his comments drawing applause.
Derouin, who works in a union shop for a wholesale distributor here, said he’s glad new jobs are coming to Brandon but he’s still worried “when push comes to shove he’ll operate at the lowest cost possible and we’re going to end up with a North Battleford situation here.”
