Viterra Management, Union Set Early January Bargaining Sessions

A new round of contract talks between Viterra workers and management have been scheduled for early in the New Year. 

Steve Torgerson, general secretary of the Grain and General Services Union (GSU), which represents Viterra workers, said the two sides have agreed to meet Jan. 3-4 in Regina in a bid to hammer out a contract and hopefully avoid a labour disruption. 

“We are hopeful that Viterra will come and seriously approach these days with a serious eye to reach a settlement,” Torgerson said in an email message Thursday. 

GSU Locals 1 and 2 voted ‘overwhelmingly’ earlier this month to reject what was described as the final Viterra contract offer. A strike vote was held earlier in November, clearing the way for the union to provide the company with a 72-hour strike notice. 

So far, that notice has not yet been served, with Torgerson previously indicating the timing would largely depend on company management agreeing to sit down at the bargaining table early in the New Year. 

Key stumbling blocks in the negotiations – which have continued for more than a year - include wages, health and safety, and work-family balance.    

Any strike or lockout would impact the company’s country operations, including grain procurement and the loading of grains for export.  

Workers in Viterra’s Regina headquarters are also eligible to strike. 

Ian Boxall, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS), said a potential strike or lockout would have a major impact on producers in the province. 

Any disruption in grain shipping often takes months to catch up, he said, adding that producers’ cash flow – already challenged by the summer drought and generally lower crop prices compared to a year earlier - would be further negatively impacted at a time when many would need cash in hand to begin securing inputs for the new-crop planting season.