Tentative agreement reached during Vancouver grain workers’ strike

The strike by grain terminal workers at the Port of Metro Vancouver has ended, their employer announced Friday evening.

Just hours after talks to end the strike broke down Friday, “renewed” mediation efforts have resulted in a tentative agreement between the parties, Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator Association, said in a statement.

The new collective agreement between the Vancouver Terminal Elevator Association and Grain Workers Union workers is expected to remain in effect until the end of 2027, according to Sobkowich.

GWU members are scheduled to vote on the deal Oct. 4, but work at six grain terminals in Vancouver is scheduled to resume Saturday, Sobkowich said.

Workers walked off the job on Tuesday morning, halting exports worth tens of millions of dollars.

Negotiations facilitated by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service began on Wednesday and continued on Thursday but ended in failure, Sobkowich said in an earlier statement on Friday.

The renewed mediation, which ultimately led to an agreement, was led by Peter Simpson, CEO of FMCS.

Federal Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon took to social media to announce that an agreement had been reached.

“I thank the parties for putting in the work necessary to reach an agreement and the federal mediators for their support,” MacKinnon wrote in X.