Hog slaughter resumes at Olymel after strike ends

The Olymel facility in Anjou is seen Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

MONTREAL — Hog slaughtering activities resumed at the Olymel plant in Vallée-Jonction on Friday morning, and all employees have been called back to work.

The management of the large agri-food company made the announcement in a Friday press release.

The strike by the workers' union at the Olymel plant in Vallée-Jonction, in Beauce, lasted four months and required two tentative agreements before being approved by the workers.

Olymel said that disinfection and maintenance activities took place as planned on Sept.1 and 2, so that hog slaughtering activities could resume on Sept. 3.

For the time being, only 3,600 hogs were slaughtered on this first day of operations following the strike. Olymel plans to gradually resume its 35,000 hogs per week rate.

Butchering operations will resume on Sept. 7, after Labour Day.

--This report was first pulished in French by The Canadian Press on Sept. 3.