(Vancouver) The union representing BC port workers has rejected a tentative mediator agreement that ended the strike last week.
Rob Ashton, president of the International Longshoremen’s Union of Canada, said in a statement that his caucus does not believe the deal can protect jobs “now or in the future.”
He added that the four-year deal is “far too long” given the uncertainties in the industry and the broader economy.
“With the record profits that member companies of (the association) have made over the past few years, employers have failed to address the cost of living issues that our workers have faced over the past two years, as all workers have done,” the union also said in a statement.
The strike resumed Tuesday afternoon.
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association said union leaders rejected the deal without putting it to a vote of all members.
She said the proposed deal was “fair and comprehensive,” with pay and benefits increases above the 10% increases workers had received over the past three years.
The employers’ association said the deal “could not satisfy some of the (union’s) inside caucus leaders.”
“By rejecting this tentative agreement, the leaders (of the union) are choosing to further harm Canada’s economy, its international reputation and, most importantly, Canadians, their livelihoods and all who depend on them.” ‘a stable supply chain,’ she said.
In a written statement, the office of Federal Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan said it could not comment on the ratification process between the two sides until it received official notification from both sides. .
The 13-day strike that ended last Thursday involved approximately 7,400 port workers at more than 30 ports and other sites across the province.
The labor dispute has frozen billions of dollars worth of goods entering and leaving ports, including at Canada’s busiest port in Vancouver.
