The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool strike is over. Now rebuilding the company must begin.
What can 13 days of striking do to a company? Statistics and quotes in the media give the “facts.” How many elevators were open, how many were closed; how many staff were – or weren’t – on the picket lines. How much grain was moved, how many people went to different elevators. The paper came out, what was different with it.
Underneath all the statistics are the people who make this company – and the customers we serve.
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It doesn’t matter whether it’s an elevator agent, a reporter, a head office typist, a service centre worker: across the company each employee has been affected.
Generally, it was “business as usual” although for some customers it was more than just inconvenience. Actual dollar losses can be defined.
Yet some of our customers expressed greater loyalty when we kept our operations open. We thank our customers for their patronage and patience.
What can’t be defined in numbers are the relationships between people in the company. To pretend that barriers don’t exist is not being realistic. We had employees who were outside on the picket lines, and we had employees who worked.
Strong words and actions were said and done between the two groups prior to, during and now after the strike.
People on both sides felt tormented by decisions they had to make. Do they strike or not strike? Can they financially support their decision? How will they be able to work with their fellow employees later? How personal did a labor situation become? How long will it take for people to work comfortably as a team again?
Life isn’t harmonious right now. However, reflecting on the company’s history for 70 years, there’s hope we can build on a proud past, look towards a bright future, and work well together again.
