Port problems add to farm worries

THE building materials are strong: independent people, millions of acres of soil, terminals of wood and concrete, all connected with steel rails. But for all that, the grain industry is woefully fragile.

Last week it took only 70 people to halt the Canadian flow of grain, generating worries of missed delivery opportunities on the Prairies that would contribute to farmers’ current economic pressures.

Canadian Grain Commission weighers, represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, took part in a five-day rotating strike last week designed to pressure the federal government into resuming contract negotiations.

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In less time than it takes to germinate seed, more than 1,000 loaded grain cars collected at the coast and grain ships waited in the harbor to take on cargo. Pressure within the grain circulatory system began to rise.

CGC employees were back at work Friday, but at press time the threat of further disruptions still loomed.

“Grain handlers, prairie producers and pool members caught in the crossfire,” said Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

“Paralyzed the western grain handling system,” said Agricore.

“Workers are holding farmers hostage,” said the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association.

There’s nothing like a shipping disruption to bring farm factions into agreement. Together they worried about demurrage, which comes out of farmers’ pockets; about Canada’s reputation as a reliable shipper, which affects farmers’ pockets; and about the resulting income shortfall, which might completely empty farmers’ pockets.

The 1998-99 shipping season could have been one of the smoothest in years. Weather worries haven’t been an issue. A court case this fall forced railways to acknowledge that grain deserves a higher priority.

But it seems the government has allowed some matters to languish. PSAC members involved in the rotating strike have been without a contract since 1997 and without a pay raise since 1991, so the possibility of labor disruptions can’t have been a surprise.

The government did make changes to the Canada Labor Code last June, in the form of Bill C-19. Its approval was ultimately based on the argument that it would prevent grain farmers from being held hostage by poor labor-management relations in non-grain sectors.

What can be done about labor-government relations in grain sectors is another question entirely, and one that needs prompt and decisive action.

This year as perhaps never before, the strong core materials of the grain industry need bolstering through government action.