The general strike at the Agropur cheese factory in Granby is causing significant economic losses and food waste, according to the Producteurs de lait du Québec, who are concerned that the labor dispute will continue. They are asking the management and union parties to come to an agreement.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
The ongoing labor dispute at the Agropur Cooperative plant in Granby is resulting in millions of dollars in losses for dairy producers given the waste caused by the shutdown of its activities, says Daniel Gobeil, president of Les Producteurs de lait du Québec.
Some 9.5 million liters of milk are processed every day in Quebec, according to the Producteurs de lait du Québec. The Agropur Cooperative plant in Granby alone processes nearly 800,000 liters of whole milk per day, says Daniel Gobeil over the phone. Thus, its temporary closure disrupts the balance of supplies.
Monday morning, Daniel Gobeil addressed the president of Agropur Cooperative, Roger Massicotte, as well as the president of the Granby plant union, Daniel Chaput, to put pressure on the parties.
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec asks you to negotiate with diligence and commitment to avoid food waste and to put an end to the economic losses that producers are currently suffering as a result of the conflict.
Daniel Gobeil, President of Quebec Milk Producers
Remember that on June 29, the Central of Democratic Unions (CSD) launched an indefinite general strike as part of its negotiations with Agropur. The union filed 158 demands covering 32 of the 33 articles of the collective agreement.
The dairy cooperative notably demanded schedules that went against the balance between work and family, explains Bernard Cournoyer, union adviser at the CSD, on the telephone. According to him, these are “unreal” requests. There will be no consensus as long as the employer demands working conditions that disrupt the family life of workers, he insists.
Earlier in July, the union had offered Agropur to end the strike if the organization did not implement the proposed work schedules.
“It is up to Agropur to demonstrate the necessary will to resolve this conflict,” Bernard Cournoyer was quoted in a press release.
After 24 days of conflict, employees at the Granby plant are still not back to work. Negotiations have been in progress since Monday, and this, until Friday, underlines the union adviser.
Waste despite efforts
The closure of the Granby plant generates abundant surpluses of whole milk. To minimize waste, factories across Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes are called upon. Some have even processed whole milk for free for food banks, says Daniel Gobeil.
However, the existing processing capacities are insufficient to meet the volume of dairy surpluses caused by the closure of the Granby plant, explains the president of Les Producteurs de lait du Québec. Consequently, we observe food waste, which raises significant financial stakes, at the level of the by-products of the transformation, he affirms.
“It is the producers who collectively bear these losses of income from whole milk or components with the by-products. There is no program to cover these losses which amount to several million dollars”, can we read in the letter from Daniel Gobeil.
A return to work expected by all
Aware that the conflict is generating pressure on dairy producers, Agropur hopes for a quick return to work, says Mylène Dupéré, vice-president, corporate communications for the cooperative.
The company wants to find an agreement that is “fair for the employees while allowing the company to remain competitive in the market”, she underlines.
The factory workers also want a return to work soon, but only if the employer considers the union’s demands. “People want to go back to work and oppose food waste,” said Bernard Cournoyer, in response to Daniel Gobeil’s letter. “We have the same emergencies as the Producteurs de lait du Québec. »