After not agreeing to a proposed deal reached through federal mediation, thousands of BC port workers are going back on strike.. Vancouver portPort of Vancouver .Over 7,400 workers from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) stopped working from July 1 to July 13. .They were unhappy about port automation, outside contracting, and the rising cost of living..On July 13, a temporary agreement was made between the ILWU and the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA). .This happened because Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan asked for terms to end the strike. .A federal mediator helped to create these terms..The BCMEA announced on Tuesday that the strike would continue because the ILWU's internal caucus did not approve the tentative agreement..On Tuesday night, O'Regan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra stated that workers and employers in Canada cannot “cannot face further disruption on the scale we saw last week.”.“We are looking at all options. We will have more to say on this tomorrow (Wednesday),” O’Regan and Alghabra said in a joint statement on Tuesday evening..They stated that the agreement reached through mediation was fair for both the workers and their employers..“We have been patient. We have respected the collective bargaining process. But we need our ports operating.”.“Both the BCMEA and ILWU recommended ratification of the tentative settlement to their respective memberships,” said the BCMEA in a statement on Tuesday..“The BCMEA ratified the agreement on July 13.”.A four-year collective agreement was reached through mediation, the BCMEA announced. This agreement includes significant increases in wages and benefits and addresses the union's concerns about outside contracting and worker retention..ILWU Canada expressed dissatisfaction with the recommended terms, stating that they were not enough to safeguard the jobs of port workers “now or into the future.”.“The term of the collective agreement that was given with today's uncertain times, is far too long,” ILWU President Rob Ashton said in a statement..“We must be able to re-address the uncertainty in the world's financial markets for our members.”.On Tuesday, at around 5 p.m., workers returned to the picket lines..ILWU chanted on the picket lines saying “an injury to one, an injury to all” and “one day longer, one day stronger.”.The president of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Bridgitte Anderson said she was “dismayed and disappointed” that the strike had started again..“We are greatly concerned about the impacts the continuation of the strike will have on Canada's international reputation as a reliable trade partner,” said Anderson..“In less than two weeks, business across Canada were facing shortages, temporary layoffs, and, in some cases, total shutdowns.”.The strike had stopped the movement of goods from the BC coast, including Vancouver, which is Canada’s busiest port..The strike resulted in billions of dollars lost due to trade disruptions, as calculated by industry groups. Additionally, it led to temporary layoffs at industry facilities in Prince George and Saskatchewan..During its initial 13-day strike period, many industry groups and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith requested that Parliament reconvene and pass back-to-work legislation to resolve the strike..On Tuesday, Smith repeated her request for legislation to require ILWU workers to return to work at over 30 BC port terminals..Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre tweeted “What colossal incompetence by Trudeau’s Labour Minister. He claimed he’d gotten a deal to end the strike, and now it’s back on with massive costs to consumers, workers & businesses. We can’t afford this incompetence.”.However, O'Regan and the federal government continued to say that the best agreements were made through negotiations..O'Regan said that asking a federal mediator for recommended settlement terms was a “forceful nudge” to strongly encourage both sides to reach an agreement.
