CWB to put Greater Focus on Farmers; Reduces Workforce by over 20
Percent
(January 27, 2004 - CP) With the
goal of providing better service to farmers, the CWB today announced the
results of an eight-month-long corporate review that will consolidate
all services to farmers and related activities in one area. The
corporate restructuring will involve a reduction in the number of staff
positions by about 135 by July 2004.
The reductions were announced to CWB staff today by President and CEO
Adrian Measner, who initiated a sweeping review of the corporation as one
of his first actions immediately following his appointment in January
2003.
"We are positioning the CWB to deliver on our commitment to add
value for Prairie farmers in every aspect of our business. We will be
re-engineering our traditional activities to better meet the needs of
farmers and customers and to ensure the CWB is the most effective and
efficient organization it can be for the future," said Mr. Measner.
The review, which formally got underway in April 2003, involved the
thorough evaluation of all CWB products, services and processes to
determine how well they reflected the CWB's future direction. After
determining the CWB's essential operational requirements, adjustments to
the organizational structure and staffing requirements were identified.
Opportunities to improve consistency and efficiency were also identified.
"As a commercial marketing organization, the CWB must operate in a
way that reflects the new realities of the international grain
trade," said Mr. Measner. "We've moved into an era of intense
competition, as opposed to reliance on a few large, loyal customers. Our
farmer stakeholders are under severe financial pressure and need to
extract maximum value from the marketplace."
Mr. Measner also noted that since 1998, farmers, not government,
control the CWB and expect strict management of administrative expenses,
accountability and transparency. "Farmers must be able to see
evidence of our commitment in this regard," he said.
The staff reductions will come from a combination of a hiring freeze
(where all vacant positions will be eliminated), outsourcing and
terminations. At full staff, the CWB employs 584 people at its
headquarters in Winnipeg, farm business offices in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
and Airdrie, Alberta (including 15 farm business reps who live and work in
communities across the Prairies), a logistics office in Vancouver, and
international sales offices in Beijing, China and Tokyo, Japan. |
