Workers strike at South Surrey golf course<\/p>\n
Published 11:00 am Thursday, October 1, 2026<\/p>\n
Workers at Nico Wynd Golf Course in South Surrey set up a picket line Thursday morning, saying they\u2019ve been in a long dispute with their employer and are now resorting to strike action to resolve it.<\/p>\n
The Service Employees International Union local represents approximately 30 restaurant and grounds crew employees at the nine-hole golf course, which is owned and operated by the strata representing the townhome community with the same name that surrounds the course. <\/p>\n
On Thursday morning (Oct. 1), with cars whizzing by on Crescent Road, union representatives and workers set up a gazebo and barbecue, and held purple strike signs as they arranged camping chairs and other amenities outside the entrance to the Nico Wynd community. <\/p>\n
Representatives with the strata council were also on site, as well as two security guards.<\/p>\n
Nico Wynd workers are striking because they are fighting to \u201creceive basic respect like getting paid on time, and a workplace free from bullying, harassment, and retaliation,\u201d an SEIU 2 email shared. \u201cThe employer is trying to cut seniority rights which are vital for a seasonal industry. In an affordability crisis, these workers are fighting for wage increases and better benefits to improve their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The email said the golf course workers have \u201chelped build this golf course and its services. They deserve to be paid for their work on time, treated with dignity, and protected at work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dallis Van Steinburg, business agent for the union members on site, said bargaining has been underway for some time now, and that both sides also went to mediation. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn that time the board has put forth things that actually come across as stripping the members of their seniority, their recall rights, and basic human dignity. These guys have been pretty brutal with these members,\u201d she said at the picket line Thursday. \u201cWe can\u2019t seem to come to a conclusion or agreement on anything. What they want to do is gut our collective agreement for our hard bargaining rights, after years of bargaining and basic rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because golf course work can be seasonal, especially for grounds crews, recall rights are important for the employees to keep, Van Steinburg said.<\/p>\n
\u2018We have workers working here for 31 years, (who) been recalled every season, and now (the employer) wants to strip (that) away because they\u2019re long-term, union-strong members and they hold them accountable,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are being mistreated by management and put in unsafe conditions, and they will not be addressed. The management here or the board, I should say, just shake their head and say, \u2018Oh, that doesn\u2019t happen.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Strata council representative Justin Marples and Nico Wynd Golf Course general manager Cindy Charles both noted negotiations have been ongoing for several month. <\/p>\n
Charles disagreed with some of the claims made by the union and its representatives; both she and Marples maintain they\u2019re hopeful workers will return to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n
Ross Ruddick, media relations director of the course\u2019s men\u2019s golf club, shared that the club\u2019s members\u2019 position is to respect the collective bargaining process, and that it is up to the members themselves whether they choose to cross the picket line or not. <\/p>\n
\u201cA percentage of our members are choosing not to cross the picket line,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The golf course and its restaurant remain open, with modified hours and with a limited restaurant menu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Workers strike at South Surrey golf course Published 11:00 am Thursday, October 1, 2026 By Tricia Leslie\/Peace Arch…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":916993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,87674],"class_list":["post-916992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/916993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}