Vancouver businesses short on the sweet stuff amid Rogers Sugar strike
Workers at the Rogers Sugar Refinery walked off the job nearly a month ago
Vancouver bakeries and candy-makers are struggling to keep up with demand for their sweet treats after workers at the Rogers Sugar Refinery walked off the job on Sept. 28.
Lee's Donuts, a popular Granville Island bakery, relies on Rogers Sugar for the production of their donuts. However three weeks ago they were contacted by their supplier, advising them of the strike.
"Right away they put limits on what we could order," said Carol Kaesbauer, regional manager of Lee's Donuts.
"Then the limits went down and some days they were completely out of stock," she added.
Kaesbauer said in order to continue production of her fan-favourite donuts she had to scramble to find other suppliers.
Prior to the strike, Kaesbauer says there were no limits on how much sugar could be ordered. She used to request five bags per order. Now she can order one or two bags, if it's available.
She says she noticed the price of her orders has gone up as well. However, she says Lee's Donuts is not looking to increase their prices at the moment.
Another confectionery shop at Granville Island has started rationing their supplies to cope with the sugar shortage.
"We are saving some of it for the holidays, for those busy times," says Kevin Roque, of the Olde World Fudge Company. "If it comes to the point we don't have any sugar ... we may have to close if we don't have any product to sell."
The union representing the Rogers Sugar workers says the company has been trying to include continuous shifting as part of the collective agreement.
Continuous shifting means the sugar plant would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and employees would work 12-hour shifts. Currently, the plant operates Monday to Friday and employees work eight-hour shifts.
"We've been asking them to hire more people now, so we don't have to do the 12-hour shifts," said Adrian Soldera, president of Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8. "They're maintaining there is a certain headcount they have to have in the plant to make it feasible."
Jean-Sébastien Couillard, vice-president of finance for Rogers/Lantic, said the company is "committed to reaching an agreement that is acceptable to both parties." He also said the refinery is "operating at a level that supports our customers."
With the holiday season coming up, Soldera acknowledges the impact of the strike.
"Small businesses are being affected and it's not just because of us," says Soldera, "We think what the company is asking for is very unrealistic."
The union president says the workers are waiting to come back to work, but not until their demands are met.
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With files from Michelle Gomez