Metro Vancouver grain workers begin strike Tuesday

Grain workers at terminals in Metro Vancouver walked off the job Tuesday morning.

The union representing the workers shared that a 72-hour strike notice was served to the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association and the strike began at 7 a.m.

The association says it couldn’t come to an agreement on a new contract after mediated talks ended last month without a deal.

Canadian grain farmers have said a strike would cripple crop exports since about 52 per cent of all Canadian-grown grain went to those terminals last year.

Grain farmers say a strike would “halt nearly 100,000 metric tonnes” of commodities arriving each day, potentially costing $35 million daily in lost exports.

The Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association says affected operations include Viterra’s Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, Richardson International Terminal, Cargill Limited Terminal, G3 Terminal Vancouver, and Alliance Grain Terminal, all located in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

“Grain farmers in the prairies rely heavily on the Port of Vancouver to handle and export the majority of the grain they grow,” the statement from the Grain Growers of Canada says. “Following last month’s rail work stoppages, this strike will have an equally devastating impact on grain farmers across the prairies who are in the midst of harvest.”

The group is also urging federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to “use all tools available” to prevent a work stoppage from coming to pass.

“Without intervention, Canada’s international trading reputation will continue to suffer, leading to the loss of key global markets and customers,” the Grain Growers’ statement says.