British Columbia’s port workers are back on the picket lines.
The offer presented to both the union and employer last Thursday has been rejected and port workers were set to strike again as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association first announced a tentative agreement was reached last week, but the employer said the union — representing thousands of port workers — has backed out.
“We regret to advise that ILWU Canada (ILWU) has communicated that ILWU’s internal caucus leadership rejected the tentative agreement, before it was even taken to a vote of the full union membership,” the BCMEA said in a Tuesday statement.
“This fair and comprehensive package could not satisfy some of ILWU internal caucus leadership, and in rejecting this tentative agreement, ILWU Leadership is choosing to further harm Canada’s economy, international reputation and most importantly, to Canadians, their livelihoods and all those that rely on a stable supply chain.”
The employers association said the proposed four-year collective agreement settlement package that was rejected included “considerable hikes in wages and benefits” that exceeded the approximate 10-per-cent increase over the past three years. The proposed increases, it added, were also “generally above the established norm of recent private and public sector union settlements in British Columbia and Canada.”
The strike, affecting about 7,400 workers started on July 1 and lasted 13 days before the offer was presented.
Shipments were halted in and out of about 30 ports in B.C., including Canada’s largest, the Port of Vancouver.
The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade estimated more than $9.3 billion of trade has been disrupted since the strike began on July 1.
More to come.
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