Premier ‘profoundly worried’ as B.C. port union issues 72-hour strike notice

Federal ministers and British Columbia Premier David Eby are urging the province’s port staff and employers to discover a approach to avert job motion after the employees’ union issued a 72-hour strike discover and mentioned its members have been able to stroll out on Saturday.

The strike discover issued Wednesday by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada impacts about 7,400 terminal cargo loaders and 49 of the province’s waterfront employers at greater than 30 B.C. ports together with Canada’s busiest, Vancouver.

In a joint assertion, Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra mentioned they help the collective bargaining course of and urged either side to hash out a deal on the bargaining desk.

“Everyone – the employer, the union, the mediators, and the government – understands the urgency and what is at stake for Canadians and our supply chains,” the assertion mentioned.

“The parties are responsible for moving goods both nationally and internationally, and industries and consumers would feel the effects of a work stoppage.”

Eby mentioned at an unrelated news convention that he is “profoundly worried about the potential impact of a strike at our ports.”

He mentioned British Columbians have seen rising prices as a result of inflation and provide chain points all through the pandemic, and a strike probably rising prices is one thing residents can not afford.

Negotiations between the union and the BC Maritime Employers Association began in February in an try to succeed in an settlement earlier than their contract expired on the finish of March.

Both sides had been in a cooling-off interval however that ended on June 21, and union members voted 99.24 per cent in favour of strike motion this month.

The union mentioned in a press release Wednesday that contracting out, port automation and price of residing are key points within the dispute.

“Longshore workers kept this province and the country running during the pandemic, and when Canadians were told to shelter in place, our people went to work,” the assertion mentioned.

“We worked in difficult and hazardous conditions to ensure that the communities where we live, and all Canadians, had the necessary supplies and personal protective equipment to defend against the COVID 19 virus.”

The union mentioned administration continues to demand concessions.

The Maritime Employers Association mentioned in a press release Wednesday that since bargaining started in March, it has “advanced multiple proposals and positions in good faith, with the objective of making progress and achieving a fair deal at the table.”

“Despite today’s regrettable development, we remain ready to re-engage with our labour partners through the federal mediation process, with the desire of reaching a fair and balanced deal at the table that keeps our ports stable and goods flowing for Canadians,” the assertion mentioned. “We continue to be open to any solution that brings both Parties to a balanced agreement.”

Philip Davies, a transportation economist and principal of Davies Transportation Consulting Inc. in Vancouver, mentioned agreements between maritime employers and port staff are sometimes long-term offers that contain “pretty hard bargaining.”

Davies mentioned the union has a number of choices in need of full strike motion to disrupt port operations within the occasion negotiations are unsuccessful.

“They can disrupt operations at a single terminal or they could not dispatch enough labour for a single shift,” Davies mentioned. “But then of course the response by the employers can be a lock out of the union and the terminals shut down, and so either of those things, any of those things are possible.”

“It is, shall we say, a tactical and strategic game,” he mentioned.

Davies mentioned the union’s counterparts on the U.S. West Coast simply reached a somewhat beneficiant deal, and arduous bargaining ways aren’t unusual when looking for multi-year offers.

“Over the pandemic the shipping lines were making huge profits and I think the longshoremen certainly felt that they should share in that bounty,” he mentioned.

On the Canadian entrance, as negotiations proceed main as much as potential strike motion this weekend, Davies mentioned dock staff on either side of the border know the very important position they play within the “marine transport ecosystem” as they search a collective settlement.

“The longshoremen want to make sure they’re covered for all eventualities,” he mentioned.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed June 28, 2023.