Following several months of strikes and determined resistance to the employer, Unifor members working at Viterra voted 78% in favour of the agreement presented Thursday evening at the assembly, thus ending the labour dispute.
The new four-year collective agreement includes wage increases of 6% retroactive to April 17, 2024, followed by 4% to April 17, 2025, 5% to April 17, 2026, and 3% to April 17, 2027. In addition to these wage increases, workers will receive a signing bonus of $1,500 paid within 30 days of accepting the employment contract, as well as additional bonuses of $1,250 on January 1, 2025 and April 1, 2027 for employees still employed on those dates.
“This agreement reflects the collective efforts of our negotiating committee and the unity of the members, who stood up to the employer and never gave up. Thanks to their mobilization and determination, we were able to obtain significant gains that respect the needs of our members. This is a victory for all Viterra employees,” said Marc-André Paré, national representative for Unifor Québec.
Let us recall that the workers at the Viterra plant in Bécancour occupy an essential place in Quebec’s food supply chain. They specialize in refining canola and soybeans to produce edible oils, as well as meal, a by-product essential to animal feed.
Members will return to work on Monday.
About Unifor
Unifor is the largest union in the private sector in Quebec and Canada, representing more than 320,000 members in every area of the economy. Unifor advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice at home and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future. In Quebec, Unifor represents close to 55,000 members and is affiliated with Quebec’s largest labour central, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ).
For media inquiries, please contact Véronique Figliuzzi, Unifor Quebec Communications Representative, at @email
