Daily Herald Staff
The strike at the Port of Vancouver is causing more challenges on the prairies as Nutrien Ltd. announced on Tuesday it would curtail production at its Cory potash mine due the loss of export capacity at the Canpotex Neptune terminal.
In a press release, Nutrien president and CEO Ken Seitz said the Cory potash mine was the only Saskatchewan potash mine where the company planned to curtail production. However, he said that could change if the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada strike continues.
“We urge the parties in this dispute to come to a swift resolution to prevent further damage to the Canadian economy,” Steiz said in the press release.
The port strike is one of several factors affecting the company. The Nutrien press release said lower than anticipated global potash prices, and a Portland terminal outage, will also have an effect.
Nutrien will provide its second quarter results on Aug. 2. The Croy potash mine is located southwest of Saskatoon.
The ILWU issued a statement on Monday blaming the “greed” of shipping companies for the strike. The union says worker wages have grown by 6.6 per cent over the past two years, while arguing that the five largest shipping companies make more than $100 billion in profit in 2022.
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association represents 49 per cent of B.C.’s private sector waterfront employers and operators. The group says the strike has disrupted $7.5 billion worth of cargo deliveries.
“The most recent proposal shows the BCMEA’s commitment to reach an agreement,” reads a organization statement released on Saturday. “We believe a deal can be reached if ILWU Canada wants one. We know that the best deals are made at the table, and this is exactly what we are proposing the Parties do.”
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
