The Wheat Growers Association welcomes the Hon. Steven MacKinnon as the new Minister of Labour. We ask that he move quickly to resolve the pending national rail strike. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board intends to release its decision regarding the Ministerial Referral on the maintenance of activities by Friday, August 9. Strike action may take place 72 hours after the release, pending an extended cooling off period.
“It is unbelievable how naive the previous Minister was, allowing a possible strike to occur during the prairie harvest. We hope that the new Minister understands that farmers depend on grain movement at harvest to get paid at delivery which helps offset harvest costs and inputs for the year. The complacency of the federal government on this file is putting farmer’s financial viability at risk,” stated Daryl Fransoo, Saskatchewan Director.
International customers are relying on “just in time delivery” and strikes that disrupt exports have seen customers choose other countries for their grain products. Fransoo went on to say, “Regaining the trust and loyalty of international customers is very difficult. It’s often forgotten that once a strike ends, it can take months to move the backlog of grain, hurting farmers and communities long after the strike is over.”
The Wheat Growers have written to the previous Minister on two occasions, April 24, 2024 and May 22, 2024, urging his direct involvement to bring a resolution to this pending labour dispute. To date, we have not received a reply from his office.
“It’s not too late to resolve this issue, but time is running out to ensure that the 2024 harvest is not impacted. We urge the Minister to act swiftly in the best interest of Canadian grain farmers, our export markets and the Canadian economy”, closed Fransoo.
Click here to see more...