Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Researcher warns against intervention as B.C. port workers conclude contract vote

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Aug, 2023 10:33 AM
  • Researcher warns against intervention as B.C. port workers conclude contract vote

A labour researcher says he hopes the federal government doesn't rush to intervene in British Columbia's port dispute, even if union members reject a tentative deal with employers today.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada concludes the two-day vote at 6 p.m., after a tumultuous period that included a 13-day shutdown of more than 30 port terminals and other sites last month.

McGill University associate professor Barry Eidlin says he hopes the federal government lets the dispute be resolved at the negotiating table, regardless of the vote's outcome.

He says the prospect of federal intervention represents "backsliding to a past era" when workers' fundamental rights weren't respected.

The tentative contract between the union and the BC Maritime Employers Association was announced on Sunday, a day after federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose a deal or binding arbitration if it decides a negotiated resolution isn't possible.

Union leaders say workers' key concerns relate to automation and the contracting out of maintenance work, both of which present fundamental challenges to the future of port jobs.

The strike from July 1 to 13 ended when a previous tentative deal was struck, but union members rejected it in a vote on July 28, triggering O'Regan's order for the industrial relations board to get involved.

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk
A Vancouver Island woman has been sentenced to 18 months of probation for coughing in the face of a grocery store clerk on purpose in the earliest days of the pandemic. The woman was found guilty in April of assaulting the employee and causing a disturbance at the Save-On-Foods in Campbell River in April 2020.

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate
Police are investigating after a body was discovered in Oak Bay. A section of Beach Drive was closed from Monterey Avenue to King George Terrace this morning after the discovery.

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs
With this grant, IEC-BC will provide extended mentorship to under-employed and unemployed immigrants that will help them understand and adapt their skills and experience to the Canadian labour market. This grant will benefit newcomers and businesses across the province.

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness
An employee at a mall in Langley says she heard a giant boom, the ground shook and she thought they were experiencing an earthquake. Instead, RCMP say a welding truck in the mall’s parking lot had exploded in flames.  

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness

One injured in Port Moody crash, IIO investigates

One injured in Port Moody crash, IIO investigates
A statement from the Port Moody Police Department says officers tried to pull over a motorcycle at around 6:30 last night, but the driver sped off. The person slammed into a police vehicle at an intersection on Port Moody's west side, leaving the motorcyclist with injuries officers describe as "non-life-threatening."  

One injured in Port Moody crash, IIO investigates

Kamal Sharma: A Cultural Trailblazer Preserving South Asian Heritage

Kamal Sharma: A Cultural Trailblazer Preserving South Asian Heritage
From being the first person to sell original Bollywood movie prints to hosting entertainment shows that garnered a cult following among ethnic communities to introducing concerts that brought legendary South Asian artists to Vancouver, Kamal has been a pioneer in shaping the South Asian cultural landscape.

Kamal Sharma: A Cultural Trailblazer Preserving South Asian Heritage