The country’s beef industry is embattled in controversy and in Edmonton the turkey processing business is joining in the bad press.

About 200 workers from the UFCW Local 1118 are on the picket line outside of the Lilydale Foods Inc plant, which processes Turkeys near Yellowhead.

Nancy Furlong, Secretary Treasure of the Alberta Federation of Labour tells iNews880 the workers make much less than employees working at a Chicken processing plant and turkeys are much bigger.

“They’re actually making less than other workers processing poultry,” explains Furlong. “They are quite different processes, but in the Lilydale turkey processing plant the work is harder because these birds are much larger.”

Despite the timeline of events, Furlong says the workers remain optimistic.

“These workers have been steadfast in their desire to get a collective agreement and they aren’t being paid the same as workers in other parts of the province and they should be,” explains Furlong. “They need a settlement that will give them a decent living.”

Furlong says workers also want a guaranteed 36-hour work week.

“They’re going to insist these workers have to vote again on an offer they rejected eight weeks ago,” explains Furlong. “We were having a rally today to show these workers that the rest of the labour movement actually supports their right to make this decision and to take strike action if they can’t get a decent contract.”

The workers will vote Tuesday on an offer they rejected 8 weeks ago, but Furlong says if they can’t get a decent contract the workers will be taking more strike action.

The workers remain on the picket line outside of the plant.

iNews880, Mon 2012 Oct 15
Byline: Travis Dossier