Canada port workers accept deal ending shipping chaos

OTTAWA (AFP): Workers at Canada’s busiest port in Vancouver and at harbours up and down the Pacific Coast have approved a tentative labour deal, their union announced late Friday.

After months of failed talks, more than 7,000 terminal cargo loaders and other employees in 30 ports had gone on strike last month and then staged another walkout days later.

The labour unrest paralysed industries across Canada, disrupting an estimated Can$ 10 billion (US$ 7.5 billion) in trade.

In a statement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of Canada (ILWU) said 75 percent of its members voted to ratify the agreement “after five weeks of labour instability at British Columbia’s ports.” No details on the terms have been released. But the union said it includes increases in wages, benefits and training, as well as provisions providing “certainty and stability” for workers.

Port automation, the rising cost of living and outsourcing had been the key issues behind the collective action led by the ILWU. Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez in a joint statement called the ratification vote “good news for the employer, the union, and the many workers and businesses across Canada that rely on our BC ports.” They noted the “serious disruption to supply chains” caused by the port shutdowns, and said they’ve ordered a review of the labour dispute in order to provide trade and supply chain stability in the future.

The past month saw the union’s bargaining team approve a tentative pact to end the strike only to see it rejected by union leaders, briefly sending workers back to the picket line. When the agreement was finally put to members at the end of July, they rejected it. That led the government to order the industrial relations board to help the two sides reach a deal.

The west coast ports combined handled 16 percent of Canada’s total traded goods in 2020, according to the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association.

The Port of Vancouver alone handles about Can$ 305 billion worth of goods annually, and contributes Can$ 11.9 billion to the nation’s annual output.

President of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Bridgitte Anderson said businesses across the country “are breathing a sigh of relief that ports and supply chains are returning to normal.”