Port and dock workers in B.C. may have potentially come to an agreement regarding the dispute over their labour deal.
As reported by the Canadian Press, both the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) have released statements that confirm a collective agreement has been negotiated.
The strike action stopped operations at B.C. ports with pressure from the federal government to intervene. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) assisted with the agreement and it will be presented to union members shortly. The deal had been rejected twice previously, leading to calls for back-to-work legislation.
Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan released a statement on July 19, saying that the board must, “either impose a new collective agreement on the parties or impose final binding arbitration” should a negotiated resolution no longer be an option. The statement went on to say, “Following the Incident Response Group meeting with the Prime Minister on July 19, the government is prepared for all options and eventualities.”
Last week, the CIRB was tasked with discovering whether a negotiated resolution could be reached after it was rejected by the full membership of the union. Despite the fact that the government’s incident response group’s involvement would normally be reserved for times of national crisis, it’s the second time the board has weighed in on disagreements between the BCMEA and ILWU Canada.
The 7,400 workers represented by the union rejected the previous agreement which put the operations of over 30 port terminals back on hold.
Calls for the federal government to legislate an end to the disagreement came from a number of business groups and several politicians as billions of dollars’ worth of goods were frozen at B.C. ports during the almost two week strike.
The Business Council of Canada, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade are among the groups who were in favour of such legislation.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has also spoken on this issue referring to it as a “logistical nightmare” burdening the economy of Western Canada. She has called upon all federal parties to “immediately return to Ottawa and pass back-to-work legislation.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has come out to show his support for the port workers stating, “We cannot lose sight of what is at stake for B.C. port workers, but also for all workers.”
The statement released by the port worker’s union did not disclose why the members have rejected the agreement however the union has commented on the onslaught of automation in the industry as well as the erosion of maintenance jurisdiction by third-party contractors.
The rejected deal included 19.2% increase in compounded wage as well as a $3,000 signing bonus for each full-time employee. This could potentially raise the median annual wage from $136,000 to $162,000 without including the worker’s benefits and pension.
