Candy Crush: Strike at Rogers Sugar Inc. Leaves Western Canada in Major Sugar Shortage
Photo Credit: The North Star
Workers at the Rogers Sugar refinery in Vancouver have been on strike since Sept. 28, which has led to a major sugar shortage throughout Western Canada.
Rogers Sugar Inc. is the largest refined sugar distributor in Canada. It was established in June 2008 after Lantic Sugar Limited and Rogers Sugar Ltd. merged together.
There are four facilities run by Rogers Sugar Inc. across Canada, with the Vancouver facility primarily focused on processing imported sugar cane into sugar products to supply Western Canada. It is one of the largest sugar refineries in Canada that process imported sugar cane.
The strike began over issues with wages, benefits, and the company’s insistence on adding continuous shifting to workers contracts. Continuous shifting would require employees to work 12-hour shifts, to keep the sugar plant operating 24 hours a day for seven days a week.
Due to the sugar shortage, bakers and other small businesses in Western Canada that rely on sugar are undergoing many difficulties. As stated in a CTV News article, Rogers Sugar Inc. has apologized for these issues, promising that their other facilities will help supply Western Canada.
A popular Granville Island bakery, Lee’s Donuts, has been forced to limit the size of their orders as consumers, according to CBC News.
"Right away they put limits on what we could order,"said Carol Kaesbauer, the regional manager of Lee’s Donuts, “the limits on [how much sugar could be bought] went down and some days [bags of sugar] were completely out of stock." Kaesbauer has had to find other sugar suppliers to continue producing donuts.
She has also noticed that the price of ordering sugar has increased significantly. As a result, it is getting harder for Lee’s Donuts to keep up with the cost of sugar without increasing their own products’ prices.
Another store in Granville Island has also started rationing their sugar supplies. "We are saving some of it for the holidays, for those busy times," Kevin Roque, a worker at the Olde World Fudge Company, told CBC News. "If it comes to the point we don't have any sugar ... we may have to close if we don't have any product to sell."
In a Regina Leader-Post article, Tasha Henderson, the manager of the Sinfully Sweet Cathedral Bakery in Regina, Saskatchewan, expressed her concerns about the impact that the strike will have on her business. She has already had to double her wholesale costs, with sugar prices increasing from $24 to $28 per bag, to about $50 to $62 per bag. She expects the bakery to raise their prices even higher in the new year as a result.
According to Global News, Martin Barnett, the executive director of the Baking Association of Canada, believes that there is no current shortage of sugar on the shelves or through distributors. However, there may be an upcoming shortage in a few weeks, which will especially affect industrial bakers.
Barnett advises bakers not to stock up on sugar more than they normally do ahead of the holidays, as there is enough sugar available to meet demand. He notes that the rising global demand of sugar in recent years has caused prices to spike, but assures that there is no need for panic.
As stated by City News Vancouver, Rogers Sugar Inc. has requested mediation from the British Columbia Labour Relations Board to help reach a new collective agreement with the 138 workers who have been on strike. The Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC) Local 8, an independent worker’s union that currently represents the company’s workers, has agreed to mediation.
According to CBC News, the president of PPWC Local 8, Adrian Soldera believes the company's demands for longer hours are unrealistic and urges them to hire more staff to avoid the need for long shifts. The Vancouver facility already operates Monday to Friday, and employees work eight-hour shifts.
"We've been asking them to hire more people now, so we don't have to do the 12-hour shifts," said Soldera. "They're maintaining there is a certain headcount they have to have in the plant to make it feasible."
The union is waiting for their demands to be met before returning to work. Jean-Sébastien Couillard, vice-president of finance for Rogers Sugar Inc., wishes to reach an agreement that is acceptable to both parties and hopes that the Vancouver refinery will soon return to operating at a level that supports their customers.