Unionized port workers in B.C. have voted in favour of a new contract negotiated with their employer, putting an end to months of uncertainty at the province’s ports.
In a brief statement Friday evening, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada said 74.66 per cent of its members had voted in favour of the tentative agreement, which was reached last weekend with the help of the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The BC Maritime Employers Association – the employers’ representative in negotiations – touted the new agreement’s increases in wages, benefits and training for workers in a statement reacting to the vote on its website Friday night.
The association also hailed the “certainty and stability” the new deal will bring.
“The BCMEA recognizes and regrets the profound repercussions this labour disruption has had on the national economy, workers, businesses and ultimately, all Canadians that depend on an efficient and reliable supply chain,” the statement reads. “All supply chain stakeholders must collaborate now to ensure we do not see disruptions like this ever again.”
Friday’s vote to approve the new agreement with the BCMEA comes after the ILWU Canada twice rejected a previous deal.
The ILWU Canada’s 7,400 B.C. members most recently rejected a negotiated agreement in a vote on July 28.
That same deal – which was drafted by a mediator at the request of federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan – had been recommended for ratification by the union’s leadership, which initially rejected it without a membership vote on July 18.
The first tentative agreement put an end to a 13-day strike that froze cargo movements in and out of 30 port terminals and other sites in B.C.
Business groups estimated that the strike cost Canada’s economy billions of dollars in trade.
Shortly after the vote was announced Friday evening, one such group – the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade – issued a statement expressing relief at the outcome.
President and CEO Bridgitte Anderson also called on the federal government to “expand its options for addressing labour disruptions that impact the national economy and supply chains.”
“Our priority must be to strengthen the resilience and stability of our domestic supply chains and international trade relationships,” Anderson said. “As an open and trading economy, Canada needs to rebuild its reputation as a reliable trading partner.”
With files from The Canadian Press