The union representing over 7,400 striking B.C. port workers has reached a tentative labour agreement with the organization representing their employers following nearly two weeks of halted work that affected thousands of businesses across Canada.
The B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said in a
statement on July 13 that it had reached a “tentative agreement on a new 4-year deal” with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU), which represents the striking workers.
The agreement is still subject to ratification by both the BCMEA and ILWU, for which reason the former said it will not be releasing any details regarding the deal for the time being.
“The BCMEA is committed to working closely with ILWU Canada and their Locals and supply chain partners to safely resume operations as soon as possible,” the employers association wrote in the statement. “Please stay tuned for further operational updates.”
The tentative deal comes shortly
after federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan told ILWU and the BCMEA in a letter on July 11 that he had given a senior federal mediator one day to find recommended terms to end the B.C. port strike.
Mr. O’Regan waded into the negotiations because he said the disagreements between the BCMEA and ILWU were not enough to “justify a continued work stoppage.”
Mr. O'Regan reacted to news of the tentative agreement on July 13 by
saying the “strike is over.”
“The scale of this disruption has been significant,” he said in a joint
statement with Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, adding, “Our supply chains and our economy depend on it. We do not want to be back here again.”
Since it began on July 1, the strike has
halted shipments both in and out of around 30 B.C. ports, including the Port of Vancouver, which is the largest in Canada.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
