Labour minister asks mediator for terms to end B.C. port strike

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Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan has given a federal mediator 24 hours to send him recommended terms to end the B.C. port strike that has snarled cargo in about 30 ports and spurred fears of supply chain chaos across Canada.

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O’Regan said in a statement issued late Tuesday that the gap between the positions of employers and the port workers union in the 11-day-old strike is “not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.”

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He said that once he has received the terms from the mediator, he will forward them to both sides and they will have another 24 hours to decide whether to ratify the principles of the deal.

About 7,400 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada have been on strike since July 1, halting cargo in and out of ports in B.C., including Canada’s largest, the Port of Vancouver.

The workers say they’re fighting for protections against contracting out and automation, as well as pushing for higher wages.

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The strike is starting to hit business operations in Canada.

O’Regan said a good deal is “within reach” for both the union and the BC Maritime Employers Association.

He said it was in the interests of all sides that an agreement is reached as soon as possible.

“The scale of this disruption shows how important the relationship between the BCMEA and the ILWU is to our national interest,” O’Regan said in the statement shared on Twitter.

“We cannot allow this work stoppage to persist and risk further damage to the relationship between these parties.”

Speaking at a meeting of Canada’s premiers in Winnipeg, B.C. Premier David Eby said earlier Tuesday that the group is unified in wanting the strike resolved as quickly as possible.

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“It has knock-on impacts on cost of living for people across the country as goods get more expensive because imports are not available and it’s really the worst time for that,” he said.

“We also know in British Columbia, where the port is, that port workers have seen increasing costs just like everybody else.”

Eby said workers need to be treated with respect.

“And what we want is a long-term deal that’s going to last and that’s going to prevent disruptions like this from happening in the future. And those kinds of deals are reached at the bargaining table.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been among those pushing Ottawa to implement back-to-work legislation to end the strike.

Smith said it was going to have a huge impact on supply chains.

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“We’re hearing that our producers are having to shut down and roll back their production. I’m hearing that across the board, whether it’s in agriculture, whether it’s in oil.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford estimated the strike was costing his province $160 million a day. He said he wanted the federal government to “put an end to this.”

“We need to get moving. I’m all for supporting the front-line workers, but you can’t hold the whole country hostage,” he said.

He said he wanted a fair deal for the workers, taxpayers and consumers. “We need to make sure this strike is over, work collaboratively together and let’s start getting these goods flowing right across our country.”

O’Regan said in his statement that both sides “have worked long and hard to negotiate a deal.”

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“It is in the interest of everyone — the employer, the union, and all Canadians — that they agree to that deal as soon as possible,” he said.

— With files from Dirk Meissner, Ashley Joannou, Allison Jones and Colette Derworiz

More to come …

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