Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. port union to recommend settlement agreement to its members

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Jul, 2023 03:55 PM
  • B.C. port union to recommend settlement agreement to its members

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada said it will meet next week to recommend the terms of a settlement deal to its membership, possibly bringing labour peace to British Columbia's ports. 

The BC Maritime Employers Association said Friday the agreement to be presented to workers is the same one the union's caucus rejected just days ago.

In a statement, the association said the deal is the proposal reached with a federal mediator and was originally agreed to by both sides on July 13.

"The tentative agreement presented is the result of months of negotiations and mediation," the association statement said, adding that employers are "hopeful" the union's membership will fully ratify it when a vote is held, possibly late next week.

Workers shut down provincial port facilities for 13 days earlier this month, then returned to work only to walk off the job again briefly on Tuesday when the union's caucus rejected the mediated agreement. 

Union president Rob Ashton said in a written statement that members will take the 8 a.m. shift off next Tuesday for the meeting where the deal will be presented.

News of a possible agreement broke late Thursday as the union's Local 502 said on its website that the union would hold an "emergency contract caucus" Friday to decide if the deal would be sent to a full-membership vote for ratification or rejection. 

The two sides had been negotiating a new collective agreement since March but reached an impasse despite the aid of a federal mediator, triggering the strike from July 1 to July 13.

The job action by about 7,400 workers froze billions of dollars' worth of goods at Canada's key West Coast import and export points.

In a tweet sent moments after the union announcement, federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan thanked the union for sending the terms of the agreement to a vote.

The announcement capped a tumultuous week in the dispute, with the union's rejection of the agreement, an hours-long strike on Tuesday and then a decision from the Canada Industrial Relations Board that said the job action was illegal. 

Workers went back to the job while the union issued 72-hour notice planned for Saturday, only to rescind it hours later. 

The turbulent turn of events has left industry groups hesitant to express optimism in the union's latest announcement.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade paused its port shutdown calculator Friday that estimated the cost of disruptions, but declined to comment until after the union membership's vote.

The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters said in a news release that it is cautious in its optimism that the dispute has been resolved, as the original 13-day strike damaged Canada's global reputation "as a reliable place to do business."

"We are closely watching the situation and remain hopeful for a successful resolution," the group's president Dennis Darby said. "However, manufacturers and our economy cannot continue to withstand these disruptions that are severely impacting our sector."

Darby also said the federal government needs to consider introducing measures to prevent similar events from happening again.

The dispute, which disrupted operations at Canada's largest port in Vancouver, triggered vocal responses from both political and business leaders across Canada, with some, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, calling for back-to-work legislation.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened an incident response group over the uncertainty at B.C. ports, saying it was unacceptable that the union rejected the tentative deal that had been agreed to by negotiators on both sides.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Elections BC bans Mark Marissen and municipal party over financing breach

Elections BC bans Mark Marissen and municipal party over financing breach
A news release from the elections body says the party and six of its eight candidates in last year's municipal vote failed to meet the filing deadline for finance reports in January this year.  The agency says the party's campaign finance report also disclosed violations, including an improper $50,000 loan and prohibited donations.

Elections BC bans Mark Marissen and municipal party over financing breach

Busy Canada Day weekend for Prince George RCMP

Busy Canada Day weekend for Prince George RCMP
A statement from the detachment says officers were called to everything from robberies and attempted robberies to the torching of a vehicle -- possibly by a suspect already wanted on two other warrants.

Busy Canada Day weekend for Prince George RCMP

"A preoccupation with failure." Why the Titan submersible was doomed from the start

Jack Rozdilsky, a professor at York University in Toronto,  says OceanGate's business — ferrying paying passengers to the floor of the North Atlantic — could be compared to the immensely risky work of companies that launch space flights, drill for offshore oil, fight wildfires or operate nuclear power plants.

"A preoccupation with failure." Why the Titan submersible was doomed from the start

Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable

Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable
The poster is the latest in a string of problems in recent weeks that have increased tension between Ottawa and New Delhi over Sikh separatists in Canada. A poster for the event circulating on social media includes photos of India's top two diplomats in Canada — High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and Toronto Consul General Apoorva Srivastava — and refers to them as "the faces of Niijar's killers in Toronto."

Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelling to Latvia and NATO summit in Lithuania

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelling to Latvia and NATO summit in Lithuania
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Europe next week for the annual NATO leaders' summit. The two-day summit in Lithuania starts July 11 and comes as the alliance has agreed to extend the term of Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg by another year.  

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelling to Latvia and NATO summit in Lithuania

Several students stranded at Vancouver airport after Air India flight to Delhi cancelled

Several students stranded at Vancouver airport after Air India flight to Delhi cancelled
One of the students, speaking anonymously, stated, "On July 1, around 9 p.m., we received an email from Air India informing us of a five-hour delay, and the new departure time was set for 2.45 p.m. However, when we arrived at the airport, we discovered that the flight had been delayed for an additional hour."

Several students stranded at Vancouver airport after Air India flight to Delhi cancelled