All 400 employees at a Manitoba hog processor are being threatened with the sack if the unionised members amongst their number go on strike over a wage dispute.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Springhill Farms sent a letter out to all of its workers yesterday [Thursday] stating that its Neepawa plant will close permanently on 26 September if there is a work stoppage, rendering everyone out of a job.
The company and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 832, are currently between US$3 and US$4 apart on a wage deal. Negotiators were given a 96% strike mandate on 9 May by union members, but no strike date has actually been set.
Union representatives said that the letter’s threats were “premature” given that a deal could still be reached on 31 May, when the firm is due to table a revised offer. Spokesman Don Keith said that the threat was “simply a pressure tactic”.
Bill Teichroew, general manager at the company and the author of the letter, was insistent however that costs have to be lowered, because the firm operates in low-margin, competitive market.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalData“We don’t want a strike. We don’t want to shut down,” he told the Winnipeg Free Press, but legislation that allows binding arbitration after a strike, or a 60 day lockout, could force the company to bring people back to work, even if as a result of the work stoppage there is no work left. As a result, he said, he had to give the workers their 18-week notice of termination sooner rather than later.
