10


Province will hold the line on piece rates – this year


The fate of piece rates could be clear this autumn


by PETER MITHAM


VICTORIA – BC’s long- standing piece rate system won’t be overhauled by June 1, as recommended last year by the Fair Wages Commission.


BC labour minister Harry Bains originally endorsed the commission’s recommendation that all harvesters receive minimum wage by June 1, 2019. However, he also said too little was known about the existing system, created in 1981 with different rates for 15 commodities.


A study commissioned last fall to examine the existing piece rate system and point a way forward remains a topic of discussion with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, and no decision has been taken on next steps. “Workers deserve to make


a fair wage, no matter what their job description,” Bains told Country Life in BC in a written statement. “I’ve received the study, and myself, along with the Minister of Agriculture, are taking the time to review it and consider next steps.” Sources told Country Life in


BC it could be autumn before a decision is taken. Bains has committed to no further changes to piece rates this year. “The piece rates were


increased in January to provide workers with a wage lift, and equally important, provide farmer owners with predictability and stability for this year’s growing season,” he said. “We are not contemplating further increases to the rates this year. Our government understands the challenges of the agriculture industry,


The province is delaying a decision to update its labour policy regarding piece rates for hand harvesters. SEAN HITREC FILE PHOTO


including product pricing set well in advance of the harvest season.” BC’s minimum piece rates


increased 11.5% as of January 1, following a similar increase in the hourly minimum wage last June to $12.65. The minimum wage will rise a further 9.5% in June to $13.85 an hour. Many farm groups fear


changing the piece rate system would further compress farmers’ margins, which have already been squeezed by higher costs for everything from land to shipping and materials such as cardboard and horticultural supplies. New regulations and pests


TRACTORS


JD 1445 4WD MOWER, 60” DECK, FRONT BLADE, REFURBISHED 11,700 NH 54D 4WD, CAB, LDR, 40 HRS, LIKE NEW, SOME WARRANTY (U31396) ............................................... 49,500 NH 54D CAB, LOADER, 4WD, 450 HRS [U31931] .................. 37,900 NH BOOMER 33 ROPS, LOADER, 4WD, IND TIRES [U32032] .... 25,900 NH T4.75 CAB, LOADER, 4WD, 5200 HRS [U31956] .............. 39,900 NH TL80 CAB, LOADER, 4WD, 6700 HRS [U16046] ............... 25,900 NH TM155 9,000 HOURS, 4WD, NICE TRACTOR [CNS693] ..... 45,000 NH TZ25DA 2006, 780 HRS, 4WD, 54” LAWN MOWER (U31683) 9,500 QUALITY USED EQUIPMENT


BE RC500 G ROTARY CUTTER GOOD CONDITION [U31826] ......... 1,475 LIKE NEW LAND ROLLER [CNS721] .......................................... 13,900 JD 935 DISC MOWER, 11.5’ CUT [U31861] .............................. 9,000 FELLA TH68D HYDRO 6 BASKET TEDDER, HYD, FOLD, 2004 [U31737] 9,900 FELLA TS 456T RAKE [U31222]...................................................7,500 MASCHIO TILLER L105 GOOD CONDITION (U32004) .....................1,950 NH 195 MANURE SPREADER [U32033] .................................... 14,750 NH 575 SQ BALER, SHED STORED, GOOD CONDITION (CNS726) 19,500 NH STACK CRUISER 1049 1979; GAS; GOOD COND; (CNS720) 17,500 NH 1012 BALE WAGON W/UNLOAD, 55 BALES [CNS711] ...........5,900 NH FP240; GOOD CONDITION, 2005, TANDEM AXLE; HI DUMP HOSES; SPOUT EXTENSION; 29P GRASSHEAD (U31570) .................... 29,000 FP 230 2001 METALERT NO HEADS - U31374.......................... 6,900


• BEEF • VEAL • BISON • LAMB • GOAT • DEER


combined with the loss of pest control products have exacerbated the frustration. The increase to the


minimum wage this summer, combined with the introduction of the Employer’s Health Tax as part of the phasing out of Medical Service Plan premiums are also squeezing farm employers. Growers who employ workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program pay the premiums, too, even though they don’t cover workers.


Hot topic


Wages have been a hot topic at grower meetings this spring.


David Mutz of Berry Haven


Farm Ltd. in Abbotsford said wage increases in 2018 added to the tough labour conditions many farmers are facing. “There were a lot of cost


increases in the last year, both hourly and piece rate,” he says.


Mutz expects the province to change how hourly and piece rates complement one another when it reaches its final decision. But how the calculations


will work is a mystery to Rhonda Driediger of Driediger Farms Ltd. in Langley. “It’s all very secretive right


MEADOW VALLEY MEATS PROVINCIALLY INSPECTED ABATTOIR BC#34


CUSTOM SLAUGHTER SERVICES PROVIDED Serving the Community Together


WANTED: ALL SIZES MARKET GOATS & LAMBS 18315 FORD ROAD PITT MEADOWS, BC V3Y 1Z1


ashiq@meadowvalleymeats.com 604/465-4752 (ext 105) fax 604/465-4744


now,” she says. “We don’t know if they [the provincial government] are in a back room throwing darts.” Greenhouse growers, who also face rising energy costs, are particularly concerned at the impact higher wages could have. But they’re not as big an issue as a couple of years ago, given the move by several other provinces and states to raise their minimum wages, too.


CHILLIWACK • 1.800.242.9737 | 44725 Yale Road West • 604.792.1301 LANGLEY • 1.800.665.9060 | 21869 - 56th Avenue • 604.533.0048 CHEMANIUS • 1.250.246.1203 | 3306 Smiley Road


COMMITTED TO AGRICULTURE in the FRASER VALLEY & VANCOUVER ISLAND rollinsmachinery.com


Responding to grower concerns at the BC Greenhouse Growers Association annual meeting, BCGGA president Armand Vander Meulen of Abbotsford’s Vander Meulen Greenhouses acknowledged that labour costs are high. However, the association is focusing its efforts with government on issues where growers have fewer alternatives. “It’s not like we’re going to be a higher-cost jurisdiction,” he said. “Our labour costs are high, but there are options for labour productivity improvements.” His own greenhouse is exploring technology from the Netherlands to address labour costs, for example. With files from Ronda Payne


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MAY 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48