Rogers Sugar Inc. says it’s pausing negotiations after the union representing putting staff at its Vancouver refinery rejected the corporate’s newest provide.
Employees have been on strike since Sept. 28 over points together with wages, advantages and the corporate’s demand to extend refinery operations to 24 hours a day, one year per yr.
Non-public and Public Employees of Canada Native 8 president Adrian Soldera stated the most recent breakdown of negotiations considerations Rogers’ demand for steady operations on the refinery and necessary 12-hour shifts for staff.
“They’ve given us totally different scheduling choices however the challenge from our membership is now we have to surrender our weekend time — which is household time — to come back into work whereas earlier than that wasn’t an possibility,” he stated.
Rogers’ Vancouver plant is one in all solely three giant sugar refineries within the nation that processes imported cane sugar.
The strike has brought about intermittent sugar shortages in Western Canada this fall.
The corporate says there’s at present ample provide of white sugar out there and it has restarted manufacturing of brown sugar on the Vancouver facility.
Rogers Sugar has been working the Vancouver refinery at lowered capability and says it has sufficient uncooked sugar on website to proceed to take action till Could 2024.
Soldera stated the union bargaining committee is assembly to formulate a counter proposal.
“We wish to get again to work however there are some issues our staff are fairly set in opposition to from the corporate facet,” he stated.
