Close X
Friday, November 22, 2024
ADVT 
National

Longshore Union Stalls Full-Scale Strike, Begins Overtime Ban At Vancouver Port

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 May, 2019 07:27 PM

    VANCOUVER — Two major container terminals at the Port of Vancouver will not be behind picket lines although longshore workers are in a legal strike position.


    A 72-hour strike notice issued by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada expired Monday at Global Container Terminals operations in Delta and Vancouver.


    A news release issued on Sunday by union president Robert Ashton said the roughly 2,000 affected members of Locals 500 and 502 would not stage a full-scale strike, but would begin "limited and targeted" job action.


    Jeff Scott, chairman of the B.C. Maritime Employers Association, which bargains for more than 30 member companies at B.C. ports, said the job action relates to overtime.


    Ashton's statement said the union remains optimistic that a fair deal can be achieved, while Scott said more talks are expected, although he wasn't aware of any firm dates following near round-the-clock sessions on the weekend.


    About 6,000 Vancouver-area longshore workers at several employers have been without a contract since March 2018, and 98.4 per cent of those who voted earlier this month supported a strike.


    Scott said the employers association is committed to continuing talks and is hopeful, given the union's decision to take job action.


    "It's significantly different than, obviously, a strike or a walkout so that is positive," he said in a telephone interview.


    "We'll have a better idea by about noon today of how things are playing out."


    Ashton's statement said the union's focus relates to "concerns over automation of the workplace and the potential devastation to our communities."


    A recent Port of Vancouver analysis found a labour disruption could lead to losses of as much as $540 million a day. (The Canadian Press, CTV)

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    B.C. Supreme Court Judge Declares Mistrial In Murder Plot Case

    VANCOUVER — The lawyers for Jamie Bacon say a judge has declared a mistrial in a murder plot case.

    B.C. Supreme Court Judge Declares Mistrial In Murder Plot Case

    Feds Should Fund Program Providing Drug-Safety Info To Pregnant Women: Doctors

    Feds Should Fund Program Providing Drug-Safety Info To Pregnant Women: Doctors
    The hospital announced the closure in April as due in part to "years of declining grant funding."

    Feds Should Fund Program Providing Drug-Safety Info To Pregnant Women: Doctors

    Social Media Giants In Hot Seat As Politicians Consider Regulations

    Social Media Giants In Hot Seat As Politicians Consider Regulations
    OTTAWA — Tech giants will be in the hot seat this week as politicians from Canada and 10 other countries gather to consider how best to protect citizens' privacy and their democracies in the age of social media.

    Social Media Giants In Hot Seat As Politicians Consider Regulations

    Canada Files North Pole Competing Claim With Russia, Denmark

    Canada Files North Pole Competing Claim With Russia, Denmark
    Canada is heading for negotiations over who owns the North Pole.

    Canada Files North Pole Competing Claim With Russia, Denmark

    Weather Network Forecasts Starkly Different Summer Conditions Across Canada

    Weather Network Forecasts Starkly Different Summer Conditions Across Canada
    The weather this summer could be starkly different across the country, according to the latest long range forecast from The Weather Network.    

    Weather Network Forecasts Starkly Different Summer Conditions Across Canada

    Could This 20-Year-Old Montreal Polyglot Be Canada's Most Multilingual Student?

    MONTREAL — Georges Awaad answers the phone with a polite "Hello," but he could just as easily answer in Arabic, French, Japanese, or any of the other 15 languages he speaks.

    Could This 20-Year-Old Montreal Polyglot Be Canada's Most Multilingual Student?

    PrevNext