(Vancouver) Longshore workers at British Columbia ports voted nearly 75% in favor of the tentative agreement, ending a labor dispute that has prevented the shipment of billions worth of goods of dollars.
In a statement posted on the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union of Canada (ILWU) website, President Rob Ashton said the deal was ratified by 74.66% in the vote that took place. is held Thursday and Friday.
Federal Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan confirmed on social network X that the ILWU and the BC Maritime Employers Association have ratified the agreement.
Mr. O’Regan said he has asked federal officials to analyze how the disruption to supply chains caused by the conflict unfolded, in order to prevent it from happening again in the future.
The employers’ association said in a statement that it ratified the four-year deal on Monday. This “includes wage increases, benefits and training that recognizes the skills and efforts of BC’s port sector workforce.”
No further details of the deal were announced.
The agreement was rejected once by the union executive, then a second time by all the members.
On July 28, in the last members’ vote, Minister O’Regan had asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to assess whether a negotiated agreement was still possible and, if not, to impose a new agreement or binding arbitration. .
The union and employers met last Sunday with the help of a council mediator. They reached an agreement, which employers and union leaders agreed to recommend to their members.
The subsequent ruling by the Industrial Relations Board reminded union local presidents that if they changed their position and did not support the deal after initially agreeing to it, it could be considered an unfair labor practice.
The board had given the union until Friday to complete the ratification vote and ordered both sides not to speak to the media.
This labor dispute disrupted operations at more than 30 ports and other facilities in British Columbia during the month of July. A strike lasting nearly two weeks notably took place from July 1 to 13.
