The on-again, off-again, on-again BC port walkout is off again after the union representing 7,400 longshoremen in the province rescinded a previous 72-hour strike notice on Thursday that would have seen its members return to the picket line..It came hours after it re-issued a notice that it would indeed walk off the job this Saturday after rejecting a government mediated deal that presumably ended a walkout that began July 1..“Effective immediately the strike notice dated for July 22 for 9 a.m. has now been removed,” the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said in a terse single-line statement on its website posted late Wednesday..It came after the ILWU caucus rejected the mediated offer on Tuesday before it had been put to a membership vote, prompting workers to again walk off the job..“The (four-year) term of the collective agreement that was given with today’s uncertain times, is far too long. We must be able to readdress the uncertainty in the world’s financial markets for our members,” it said..In response the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ruled that the ILWU was in violation of the Canada Labour Code by not re-issuing a 72-hour strike notice — which it promptly did..That left federal officials, who had been criticized for allowing the disruption to continue for two weeks, scrambling to end what Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan termed an “unlawful” wildcat strike. .Prime Minister Trudeau recalled Parliament and convened an incident response team, presumably to force the strikers back to work..In response, the union leaders promptly withdrew its notice — presumably under threat of legal action or even arrest.."The Prime Minister stressed the critical importance of resuming operations in our ports as soon as possible. Workers and employers across Canada – and all Canadians – cannot face further disruption," according to a transcript.."He asked ministers and senior officials their advice toward achieving this goal and directed them to pursue all available options to ensure the stability of our supply chains and to protect Canadian jobs and our economy.".It’s not clear what the next steps are — apart from a ratification vote — or if the Liberal government will proceed with legislation or other measures to prevent (yet) another walkout..Even the BC Marine Employers’ Association appeared confused.."The past 24 hours have demonstrated that this continues to be a fluid and unpredictable situation. We will communicate as appropriate with key stakeholders as we receive clarification," the association said in a statement..The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBT) issued a statement saying it was “gravely concerned about the level of uncertainty and, frankly, chaos taking place at our West Coast ports.”.It estimates the dollar value of the disruption at about $9.9 billion since the original walkout began..“This has gone on too long, and a solution must be found. Canada’s West Coast ports need to reopen for good,” said GVBT President Bridgette Anderson..“We are once again renewing our call to the federal government and all elected representatives to utilize all their available tools to find a lasting resolution and to identify measures that ensure the future stability of our ports and supply chains.”
The on-again, off-again, on-again BC port walkout is off again after the union representing 7,400 longshoremen in the province rescinded a previous 72-hour strike notice on Thursday that would have seen its members return to the picket line..It came hours after it re-issued a notice that it would indeed walk off the job this Saturday after rejecting a government mediated deal that presumably ended a walkout that began July 1..“Effective immediately the strike notice dated for July 22 for 9 a.m. has now been removed,” the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said in a terse single-line statement on its website posted late Wednesday..It came after the ILWU caucus rejected the mediated offer on Tuesday before it had been put to a membership vote, prompting workers to again walk off the job..“The (four-year) term of the collective agreement that was given with today’s uncertain times, is far too long. We must be able to readdress the uncertainty in the world’s financial markets for our members,” it said..In response the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ruled that the ILWU was in violation of the Canada Labour Code by not re-issuing a 72-hour strike notice — which it promptly did..That left federal officials, who had been criticized for allowing the disruption to continue for two weeks, scrambling to end what Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan termed an “unlawful” wildcat strike. .Prime Minister Trudeau recalled Parliament and convened an incident response team, presumably to force the strikers back to work..In response, the union leaders promptly withdrew its notice — presumably under threat of legal action or even arrest.."The Prime Minister stressed the critical importance of resuming operations in our ports as soon as possible. Workers and employers across Canada – and all Canadians – cannot face further disruption," according to a transcript.."He asked ministers and senior officials their advice toward achieving this goal and directed them to pursue all available options to ensure the stability of our supply chains and to protect Canadian jobs and our economy.".It’s not clear what the next steps are — apart from a ratification vote — or if the Liberal government will proceed with legislation or other measures to prevent (yet) another walkout..Even the BC Marine Employers’ Association appeared confused.."The past 24 hours have demonstrated that this continues to be a fluid and unpredictable situation. We will communicate as appropriate with key stakeholders as we receive clarification," the association said in a statement..The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBT) issued a statement saying it was “gravely concerned about the level of uncertainty and, frankly, chaos taking place at our West Coast ports.”.It estimates the dollar value of the disruption at about $9.9 billion since the original walkout began..“This has gone on too long, and a solution must be found. Canada’s West Coast ports need to reopen for good,” said GVBT President Bridgette Anderson..“We are once again renewing our call to the federal government and all elected representatives to utilize all their available tools to find a lasting resolution and to identify measures that ensure the future stability of our ports and supply chains.”
