Locked-out grain terminal workers were planning to put forward a new
proposal this week aimed at ending the eight week shutdown at the port
of Vancouver.
Ron Burton, secretary treasurer for the Grainworkers Union, said Oct.
11 the union hoped to present the proposal to terminal employers the
week beginning Oct. 14.
He declined to discuss details, other than to say it will include some
new ideas for the British Columbia Terminal Elevator Operators
Association to consider.
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Association spokesperson Eric Harris could not be reached for comment.
However he told Reuters News Agency he was “neither optimistic nor
pessimistic” about the proposal because he hadn’t yet seen it.
The 657 grain workers have been locked out since Aug. 25 in a dispute
that centres on the grain companies’ desire to bring in more flexible
rules for work scheduling and layoffs. There have been no negotiations
since then.
The lockout came after union members unanimously rejected the
companies’ final offer. The two sides have been without a contract
since Dec. 31, 2000.
The shutdown has had little effect on grain movement, as the limited
volumes of grain being shipped so far this year have been diverted to
the grain terminal at the northern B.C. port of Prince Rupert.
The Canadian Wheat Board has warned the situation could become more
serious as export volumes increase in November and has asked the
federal government to intervene to bring an end to the dispute,
something Ottawa has declined to do.
Board spokesperson Louis Waldman said the agency welcomed the news that
the union was making a new bid to end the dispute.
The board has asked the federal government to amend the Canada Labour
Code to ensure grain keeps moving during any labour dispute that could
bring the system to a halt.
