News / Union rejects mediator's plan to end Canadian west coast port strike

© Oleg Kachura

Fresh shockwaves lashed Canada’s west coast ports last night when the dockworkers’ union voted down the federal mediator’s ‘recommended terms of settlement’ for the disputed collective bargaining agreement.

Announced last week, the compromise proposed by the mediator was aimed at ending the strikes at the gateways, but ILWU Canada president Rob Ashton rejected the proposal.

“The ILWU Canada Longshore Caucus does not believe the recommendations had the ability to protect our jobs now or into the future,” said Mr Ashton.

“With the record profits the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association’s member companies have earned over the last few years the employers have not addressed the cost-of-living issues our workers have faced over the last couple of years.”

News of the port workers returning to picket lines shocked an industry that last Friday had been told the labour dispute had been resolved, with both the ILWU and BCMEA having endorsed the compromise put forward by the mediator.

Details of the proposal were not made public, but sources said key stumbling blocks included remuneration and union jurisdiction over terminal maintenance work.

“Things have once again been thrown into turmoil just while teams on the ground are beginning to get their bearings on how the next few weeks will unfold,” eeSea analyst Destine Ozuygur told The Loadstar.

She said there was “no immediate significant change” for vessels heading to the ports of Prince Rupert and Vancouver, with ‘port swaps’ now standing at 15.

However, she said the number of diversions had “slowly crawled upwards” over the past week and, with this latest development, she expected “diversions in the long weeks could double”.

Ms Ozuygur added: “Doubtless, carriers and terminals alike are weighing their decisions and waiting on more information before taking strategic action.”