B.C. port workers approve new contract, formally ending long-running labour dispute

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.

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Business groups estimated that the strike cost Canada's economy billions of dollars in trade.

In the hours since the union's ratification vote, several such organizations – including the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters – have expressed relief at the end of disruptions, while also calling on the federal government to do more to ensure such disruptions do not happen in the future.

"Our priority must be to strengthen the resilience and stability of our domestic supply chains and international trade relationships," said GVBOT president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson, in that organization's statement.

"As an open and trading economy, Canada needs to rebuild its reputation as a reliable trading partner."

CME president and CEO Dennis Darby expressed similar concerns.

"This dispute underscores CME’s position that Canada’s ports and railways must be designated critical infrastructure to prevent shutdowns like this in the future," he said in a statement.

O'Regan and Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez promised further action from the federal government Friday night, though they did not specify what that would look like.

"We do not want to be back here again," the pair said in a statement.

"Minister O’Regan has directed federal officials to review how a disruption on this scale unfolded, so that in future we can provide greater stability for the workers and businesses across Canada that depend on our B.C. ports. We will have more to say on this soon.” 

With files from The Canadian Press