Rogers Sugar workers in Vancouver ratify new deal, ending 4-month strike

Unionized employees at the Rogers Sugar refinery in Vancouver are heading back to work after reaching a new labour agreement with the company, ending a four-month strike.

The workers, represented by Private and Public Workers of Canada (PPWC) Local 8, ratified a new collective agreement Thursday with 94 per cent of the membership voting in favour of the deal.

The five-year agreement includes increases to wages and health benefits, the union said in a statement.

Rogers Sugar also confirmed the new agreement in its own statement Thursday.

"We believe this agreement meets the needs of the employees and the organization, and it enables us to serve our customers, increase output and meet growing demand for our product," Rogers Sugar president Mike Walton said.

"We are pleased that the workers at our Vancouver refinery have ratified this agreement, and we look forward to returning to full production in Vancouver to support our customers in Western Canada."

Last week, Rogers Sugar announced it had reached a memorandum of agreement with the union ahead of the ratification vote.

Workers at the Vancouver refinery have been on strike since Sept. 28, 2023, citing issues like wages, benefits and the company's push for around-the-clock operations.

The Vancouver refinery is one of three large sugar refineries that processes imported cane sugar in Canada.

Early in the strike, shoppers faced sugar supply shortages at local grocery stores. But in December, the company said white sugar supply had increased and brown sugar production had restarted at the Vancouver refinery.

With files from The Canadian Press