Provincial meat inspectors have been classified as essential workers amid an escalated strike by B.C. public service workers.
The moves came after pressure from B.C. cattle ranchers and the Opposition Conservatives, who raised concerned about the effect of the B.C. General Employees Union strike on local farmers and abattoirs.
“I am very pleased that we have been able to successfully work with the BCGEU to have provincial meat inspectors classified as essential workers during this round of job action,” said Agriculture Minister Lana Popham in a statement Thursday evening.
“I am grateful for the BCGEU’s collaboration and willingness to work with us to safeguard human health, support animal welfare and support the farmers and producers of this province,” Popham said.
The B.C. Labour Relations Board makes decisions on what services must be maintained when a labour dispute has the potential to threaten people’s health, safety and welfare.
B.C. Cattlemen’s Association wrote a letter Wednesday to Popham, saying several ranchers were unable to have their beef cattle processed at some abattoirs due to the ongoing job action. It said the issue could have ripple effects to farmers markets and local meat supplies.
“Local abattoirs have been deeply impacted. Many of these abattoirs are family run small businesses who will feel the financial impact of the service shut downs for months to come,” said the association.
Conservative labour critic Kiel Giddens and agriculture critic Ian Paton said in a statement Wednesday the failure to designate live animal inspection as an essential service ahead of the strike “is a serious lapse in judgment that puts food safety, animal welfare, and the stability of our food supply at risk.”
Provincially-licensed abattoirs are required to have a trained government meat-hygiene and agri-food inspector onsite during the slaughtering process to ensure food safety requirements are met.
The Ministry of Agriculture said it has about 50 employees who conduct inspection duties at provincially licensed Class A and B abattoirs in the province.
An order-in-council passed on Sept 8. allowed the province to issue an “exemption order” allowing certain licensed abattoirs to slaughter animals and process meat without the usual government inspections.
“By choosing an exemption instead of making inspections essential, the NDP has weakened oversight at the very moment when confidence in food safety and animal welfare is most needed,” said Giddens and Paton.
Premier David Eby told reporters during an unrelated event on Thursday he agreed inspectors should be considered an essential service. He said it was more of an animal welfare issue than a food security issue, noting the vast majority of abattoirs in the province are federally inspected.
“This is about making sure we’re avoiding unnecessary suffering among animal populations, and making sure farmers that are dependent on these provincially-inspected facilities are able to continue operating,” said Eby.
The BCGEU represents about 34,000 public service workers in B.C. The union launched strike action on Sept. 2, warning it plans to expand the strike across the province until an acceptable deal is reached.
The union announced Friday it was launching an overtime ban covering more than 1,700 Liquor Distribution Branch workers at offices in Burnaby, Delta, Richmond and Kamloops.
“Public service workers should not be asked to shoulder the affordability crisis while government counts on their labour to generate record liquor revenues,” said BCGEU president Paul Finch in a statement.
Thousands of workers in several B.C. communities that have gone on strike over the past week.
The union is calling for an 8.25 per cent wage increase over the two-year agreement with the Public Service Agency. The latest provincial counter offer includes a 3.5 per cent increase over two years.
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