Photo: Kathy Michaels

FILE- Kelowna workers remain on strike outside Heidelberg.

A representative from the ready-mix concrete company that saw operations grind to a halt at the start of this year says they remain committed to reaching a deal.

In a statement, Heidelberg Materials ready-mixed concrete company officials said they've been in negotiations with the Teamsters Local 213 regarding its members who are employed at the company’s Kamloops, Kelowna and Penticton sites since employees "initiated a work stoppage " on Jan. 21.

"Unfortunately, attempts to reach a fair and competitive labor agreement have been unsuccessful," Jeff Sieg director of corporate communications said.

"Heidelberg Materials remains committed to finding a path forward and is hopeful continued discussions at the bargaining table will enable us to reach a fair and mutually agreeable offer."

No word on next steps was provided but workers are also keen to resolve the issues.

“We have a provincial mediator involved, and we're just waiting on a response from the employer,” Rob Cook, Teamsters Canada Local 213 spokesperson, said.

“We're trying to find resolve in this and get these guys back to work as soon as we can.”

Cook said there are about 47 workers from the Kamloops, Penticton and Kelowna job sites that are on strike but morale is still high.

“They've weathered the cold out here and they're still very strong and united and holding out for a fair collective agreement,” he said.

Cook said he didn’t want to speak publicly on the details of what’s an active negotiation but that the issues are largely around wages and benefits. The contract expired at the end of the year and talks hit an impasse about a month later.