Workers strike at South Surrey golf course amid unresolved labour talks

Workers at Nico Wynd Golf Course in South Surrey set up a picket line Thursday morning, Oct. 1, saying a long-running dispute with their employer has led them to strike. The Service Employees International Union local represents about 30 restaurant and grounds crew employees at the nine-hole course, which is owned and operated by the strata representing the surrounding townhome community of the same name.

Union representatives and workers set up a gazebo and barbecue beside Crescent Road, held purple strike signs, and arranged camping chairs and other items outside the entrance to the Nico Wynd community. Strata council representatives and two security guards were also on site.

An email shared by SEIU 2 said workers are striking to seek “basic respect,” including being paid on time and a workplace free from bullying, harassment and retaliation. The email said the employer is trying to cut seniority rights, which it called vital in a seasonal industry. It also said workers are seeking wage increases and better benefits amid an affordability crisis, and that employees who helped build the course and its services deserve timely pay, dignity and protection at work.

Dallis Van Steinburg, the union’s business agent for members at the site, said bargaining had been underway for some time and the parties had also gone to mediation. At the picket line Thursday, she said the board had put forward proposals that appeared to strip members of seniority, recall rights and basic dignity. She said the sides could not reach agreement and alleged the employer wanted to gut the collective agreement and workers’ hard-won bargaining rights after years of negotiations.

Van Steinburg said recall rights matter because golf course work, particularly grounds work, can be seasonal. She said some employees have worked there for 31 years and have been recalled each season, and alleged the employer now wants to remove that right because they are long-term, strongly unionized members who hold it accountable. She also alleged workers are mistreated by management and placed in unsafe conditions, and that their concerns are not addressed. She said management or the board would deny that such problems occur.

Strata council representative Justin Marples and golf course general manager Cindy Charles both said negotiations had been ongoing for several months. Charles disagreed with some of the union’s claims. She and Marples said they hoped workers would return to the bargaining table.

Ross Ruddick, media relations director for the course’s men’s golf club, said the club’s members support respecting the collective bargaining process, and members can decide for themselves whether to cross the picket line. He said some members are choosing not to cross. The golf course and its restaurant remain open, with modified hours and a limited restaurant menu.