Federal Minister Announces Tentative Agreement Reached in Metro Vancouver Grain Strike

Canada’s labour minister announces that striking grain terminal workers in Metro Vancouver and their employers have reached a tentative labour deal.

Steven MacKinnon shared the news of the agreement between Grain Workers Union Local 333 and the Vancouver Terminal Elevators’ Association on social media platform X, but did not provide further details.

The union also confirmed the tentative deal through a statement on Facebook, mentioning that members will vote on ratification by Oct. 4.

According to the union’s notification, picket lines were scheduled to be removed on Saturday, and members will go back to work once the deal is ratified, thereby ending the strike that had halted grain shipments from Metro Vancouver’s port.

Previously, the dispute had led to picket lines being set up at six Metro Vancouver grain terminals on Tuesday as approximately 600 workers went on strike.

Canadian grain producers had been urging a resolution to the dispute, highlighting that around 52% of the country’s grains were processed through Metro Vancouver terminals last year before being exported.

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Farmers warned that the strike, occurring during crop harvesting, could lead to up to $35 million in lost exports per day.

The Western Grain Elevator Association reported on Friday that negotiations had hit a standstill after two days of talks this week, with the employers noting that they had made increased offers to resolve the “outstanding issues.”

The employers’ group had expressed that their last offer marked the limit of their financial capacity to reach an agreement that the industry could sustain, leaving it up to the federally appointed mediator to inform MacKinnon about the next steps.

MacKinnon acknowledged in a tweet that both parties had put in the necessary effort to reach a deal.