THUNDER BAY — Striking federal government workers in Thunder Bay are taking their picket signs to the Richardson grain terminal on Water Street starting Tuesday.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada alleges that the Canadian Grain Commission is allowing private companies to use replacement works to inspect grain intended for export.
In a statement Monday, the union said it will establish a picket line at 7 a.m. on the access roads to the terminal.
According to the union, grainhandlers who belong to the United Steelworkers Union have pledged not to cross the line.
Since the beginning of the strike on April 19, the several hundred local members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada have restricted picketing to the offices of Indigenous Services Canada and Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu.
"The use of private inspectors is a threat to public safety and undermines free and fair collective bargaining that is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms," the union said in a statement.
The union did not immediately make a spokesperson available for further comment.
About two-thirds of Canadian Grain Commission staff belong to the union, including 140 grain inspectors across the country who are participating in the strike.
Grain commission corporate information services manager Rémi Gosselin said the commission developed a contingency plan to provide official certification of export grain during the walkout using modified procedures.
He said the commission respects the union's right to strike but implemented these measures to keep exports flowing and maintain Canada's access to grain importing nations.
Nonetheless, Gosselin said, the provision of official inspection and certification of grain has been significantly impacted by the strike, as the only remaining inspection staff are some managers and specialists across the country.
Under the contingency plan, grain exporters identify priority cargos and provide the commission with "composite samples."
He said grain companies may use their own in-house inspectors for this task, or hire third parties to do this work before the samples receive final inspection and certification from PSAC's non-union staff.
"It's not our preferred way to operate, but under the circumstances it keeps grain exports flowing," Gosselin said.
"Our sole focus at this time is just to minimize the impact on grain producers and grain companies. Obviously once there is closure with the strike, we are focused on getting our staff back to work just as soon as we can to conduct those inspections."
A spokesperson for Richardson did not immediately respond Monday afternoon to a request for comment.
