After being declared illegal by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), the picket lines disappeared on Wednesday at the Port of Vancouver. Longshoremen are expected to return to work on a temporary basis while the government considers its options – including the tabling of a special law that the business community is calling for.
A verdict handed down Wednesday morning by the CIRB is behind the dissolution of the picket line at the port of Vancouver, the largest in the country. The court found the strike violated the Canada Labor Code because the union failed to give 72 hours’ notice before taking strike action.
“This strike is illegal,” Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan gushed in a tweet captioning screenshots of the CIRB’s decision, which had been requested by the employer, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association.
The quasi-judicial tribunal ordered the longshoremen to cease their strike activities, and ordered the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union of Canada to revoke its declaration of authorization to strike.
At a press conference at the port of Argentia, on the Newfoundland and Labrador side, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said he was “disappointed” to see the return of the picket lines the day before. He also deplored the fact that the tentative agreement was not put to the vote of some 7,400 workers.
Then this: “I am at the end of my patience […] We have a responsibility to act to protect the interests and the economy of Canada,” he blurted out on the sidelines of a funding announcement. The government, the minister added, is “studying what the options are”.
That of the filing of a special law of return to work is not ruled out by the government.
We already know the New Democratic Party (NDP), dance partner of the Liberals in the House of Commons, does not support the idea of a special law, any more than the Bloc Québécois.
“We have always been clear with the Liberals that we will oppose back-to-work legislation. New Democrats will always stand up for workers who demand their rights and fight for a better future,” said New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh.
At the Bloc Québécois, spokesperson Julien Coulombe-Bonnafous reported that the party was “in favor of a negotiated settlement”, mentioning that the Bloc Québécois has never voted in favor of a back-to-work bill. .
As for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, he did not specify which sign he was staying at, preferring to challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce “a plan to end this strike within the next 24 hours” because “we can’t pay the price” for the work stoppage.
The Parliament will have to be recalled in the event of the presentation of a special law.
In the business world, the turn of events leaves a bitter taste. The first 13-day outage had already impacted “several million” at Olymel, which has accumulated about 3 million kilos of fresh produce – such as pork tenderloins and loins – in its freezers.
“In a week, we will approach 5 million kilos, drops the first vice-president of the meat processor Paul Beauchamp, in a telephone interview. If the strike had ended this morning, we would have had it until September [to sell off the stocks]. These are appreciable sums sleeping on the docks and our warehouses. »
Asia is an important market for Olymel. Every week, approximately 1.5 million kilos of fresh produce leave its factories in Quebec and Red Deer (Alberta) for countries such as Japan and South Korea.
These cargoes are shipped out of the Port of Vancouver, basically.
Representatives of employers’ associations are now openly calling for a special law. According to Véronique Proulx, president and CEO of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec (MEQ), Ottawa did everything to support the union and the employer during the first walkout.
“I don’t see what solution is left,” she said. We wanted a negotiated agreement, but there is a limit to letting companies be penalized. We did not expect what happened. »
After surveying its members, the association says that more than one in two respondents (55%) say they have already suffered paralysis at the Port of Vancouver. Additionally, 33% expect to be affected soon.
Among financial analysts, the labor dispute at the Port of Vancouver does not worry in the short term. On the other hand, some, like Walter Spracklin of RBC Capital Markets, wonder if Canada’s reputation could suffer. If so, the impact would go beyond companies exporting or expecting goods from abroad.
“Labour uncertainty may cause shippers to re-evaluate their options, particularly to Midwest destinations, where Vancouver and Prince Rupert compete head-to-head with US West Coast ports,” Spracklin wrote. .
If this scenario were to materialize, the two major railways in the country, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, could suffer. Approximately 40% of railcars moved by CN transit through the two western Canadian ports. For its competitor, we are talking about 20%.
