Western Canada’s leading agri-business Agricore United yesterday [Monday] revealed the results of a representation vote conducted among its Country Operations employees.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Subject to confirmation by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), Agricore United country employees voted 59% in favor of a direct working relationship with the company instead of representation by the Grain Services Union (GSU).


The vote came about as a result of the combination of the business operations of Agricore Cooperative and United Grain Growers on 1 November 2001. At that time, the GSU represented about half of Agricore’s country employees and none of UGG’s country employees. The new company advocated that employees had the right to vote on whether they wanted a direct working relationship or union representation.


The CIRB conducted the vote by mail-in ballot. Ballots were sent out to Agricore employees in February and were to be returned to the CIRB’s Winnipeg office no later than 14 March. Ballots were counted by the CIRB this morning. About 88% of eligible employees participated in the vote.


“This high participation rate tells us the results are a true representation of people’s views,” said Tracey Bryksa, communications coordinator with Agricore’s Country Operations division.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

The result is not expected to have significant impact on day to day operations, as wages, conditions of employment, job responsibilities and working conditions are already comparable for Country Operations employees.


“As far as the customer is concerned, it will be business as usual,” concluded Bryksa.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact