Provisional agreement reached in port strike BC

VANCOUVER – Striking dock workers in British Columbia and their employers have reached a tentative agreement that could end the nearly two-week labor strike.

The BC Maritime Employers Association announced just before 11 a.m. (Pacific time) that it had reached a tentative four-year agreement with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada.

“We must collectively work together to not only restore freight operations as quickly and safely as possible, but also restore the reputation of Canada’s largest gateway and ensure supply chain stability and resilience for the future,” the association said in a press release. .

Details of the agreement have not been released as it is subject to ratification by both sides.

Dock workers went on strike on July 1 after months of negotiations reached deadlock. Late Tuesday, Federal Secretary of Labor Seamus O’Regan asked government mediators in the dispute to send him a settlement proposal.

It was then sent to the employers’ association and the union on Wednesday, and they were given 24 hours to decide whether to submit it to members for ratification.

The union represents 7,400 workers in more than 30 terminals across the province, which make up the majority of terminals in BC

O’Regan and Federal Transportation Secretary Omar Alghabra released a joint statement Thursday thanking both parties while highlighting the economic impact of the shutdown.

“Its size has shown how important the relationship between industry and labor is to our national interest. Our supply chains and our economy depend on it. We don’t want to go back here,” the ministers wrote.

“These kinds of agreements, made between parties at the collective bargaining table, are the best way to prevent that. They are the best way to maintain the long-term stability of the Canadian economy. But we don’t want to come back here.”

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