EDMONTON -- Workers at the city’s Lilydale poultry processing plant are striking over a wage disparity with their Calgary counterparts.

About 200 staff members picketed outside Lilydale’s north Edmonton plant Monday.

John Ventura, a representative of the Local 1118 Union, said Lilydale’s Edmonton workers are paid considerably less than those at the company’s Calgary and B.C. plants.

“We’re not asking for anything that they don’t pay to the Calgary plants,” Ventura said.

“It’s the same company doing the same type of product. In fact, we’re doing much heavier work because we’re doing turkey and heavy fowl and in Calgary they’re just doing chickens.

“We’re not asking for more because we’re doing heavier work. We’re just asking to be paid the same as them.”

Workers are also asking for a guarantee of 72 hours every two weeks -- a policy Ventura said is already in place at the Calgary and B.C. plants.

Some workers are sent home during “no-kill” weeks when no poultry is slaughtered. With no guaranteed hours, Ventura said it’s hard for workers to pay their bills.

The plant has been closed since the strike started Saturday morning.
“We told them that we’re ready and prepared to go to the table as soon as they want to talk,” Ventura said.

Lilydale Inc. could not be reached for comment Monday.

kevin.maimann@sunmedia.ca
@SunKevinM