As the strike at Viterra entered its third week July 21 the two sides found themselves back at square one.
Negotiations with the assistance of a federally appointed mediator broke off after two days July 16, with no progress reported by either side.
No dates have been set for future talks.
The dispute then heated up when the Grain Services Union filed an unfair labour practice complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The complaint alleges the company has bargained in bad faith in order to precipitate the collective bargaining dispute with the GSU.
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It also asks the CIRB to declare illegal the “rotating lockout” used by the company against country operations and maintenance employees.
Under the lockout, the company instructed employees to report for work on the day the strike began July 7 under the terms and conditions outlined in the company’s last contract proposal.
Viterra spokesperson Mike Brooks responded saying, “we believe it was a lawful lockout. We simply used a tool provided in the Canada Labour Code to help us towards a resolution.”
GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner said the CIRB has agreed to fast track the complaint because a strike is underway. However, he couldn’t predict when a decision might be issued.
As for last week’s abortive negotiations, Brooks said that while there was agreement on some minor wording changes, there was no substantive progress.
“We discussed a wide range of issues and failed to reach any agreement on the fundamental issues that still separate the two parties,” he said.
Brooks said neither was willing to compromise on key issues such as a performance-based pay system, hours of work and days off, seniority rights and a company proposal to take sole control of the employees’ benefit package, which is now jointly administered.
Wagner said that while the company didn’t budge, the union did offer to accept some performance-based pay increases as long as all employees were guaranteed an annual increase at least equal to the cost of living.
The GSU also proposed submitting all of the contentious issues to mediation and arbitration, which the company rejected.
“We have attempted to find compromise in a couple of areas,” he said.
Both bargaining units have been without a contract since Jan. 31, 2008.The head office bargaining unit includes 194 employees; an estimated 20 to 30 decided not go on strike.
More than 600 country operations and maintenance employees are engaged in a work-to-rule campaign, but have not yet walked off the job.
The GSU also announced last week that strike pay for picketing head office employees will be increased to 75 percent of their regular gross pay, up from 50 percent.
Some Western Producer staff are members of a different local of the GSU.
