Two Canadian cabinet ministers said they’re looking at “all options” to end a strike by dockworkers in British Columbia after workers returned to the picket line.
(Bloomberg) — Two Canadian cabinet ministers said they’re looking at “all options” to end a strike by dockworkers in British Columbia after workers returned to the picket line.
The International Longshore & Warehouse Union caucus voted down the terms recommended last week by a federal mediator, the union representing 7,000 workers said in a release Tuesday, sending workers back on strike. It means the resumption of a dispute that had paralyzed trade out of west coast ports including Vancouver, Canada’s busiest.
“Workers and employers across Canada cannot face further disruption on the scale we saw last week. Therefore, we are looking at all options,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan said in a joint statement.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called on the federal government to draft legislation to force the workers back. So far, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has been reluctant to do that, given that it has an alliance in parliament with a union-friendly opposition party.
An tentative four-year agreement was reached on July 13 between the union and the BC Maritime Employers Association with the support of the federal government. But it was subject to ratification by both sides.
Job security was a key issue. “The ILWU Canada Longshore caucus does not believe the recommendations had the ability to protect our jobs now or into the future,” the group said.
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, a trade group, had estimated the strike caused daily trade disruptions amounting to C$500 million ($380 million).
“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 BCMEA said in a release.
(Updates with cabinet ministers’ comments beginning in first paragraph)
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