BC harbor strike enters day seven as union, employers association trade barbs
VANCOUVER – The strike of thousands of workers in more than 30 ports in British Columbia has entered its seventh day as their union and the association representing BC’s maritime employers make abhorrent remarks about stalled contract negotiations.
The president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, which represents about 7,400 striking workers, told a solidarity rally on Thursday that the BC Maritime Employers Association has walked away from the table three times.
Rob Ashton told the crowd that the employers are waiting for the federal government to do their “dirty work instead of treating employees with respect” by bargaining.
The BC Maritime Employers Association later issued a statement saying it had learned of layoffs in related industries as a result of the jobs strike and that the strike may have disrupted $4.6 billion worth of cargo.
The association called on the union to return to negotiations under “a voluntary mediation-arbitration process”.
Dock workers have been off work since Canada Day to support demands for better wages and provisions against outsourcing and automation, but negotiations stalled Monday over maintenance issues.
Federal Labor Secretary Seamus O’Regan is urging the two sides to deploy mediators and resume talks, while officials in Alberta and Saskatchewan have joined forces with business groups to call for federal legislation to end the strike.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 7, 2023.
