B.C. ship and dock foremen ordered to rescind strike notice

Cargo containers are moved by trucks at the Port of Vancouver Centerm container terminal as others are stacked under gantry cranes, in Vancouver, on Friday, October 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A 72-hour strike notice served by members of the union representing ship and dock foremen in B.C. violated Canada’s labour code and must be rescinded, a federal tribunal ruled Sunday.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board made its decision on the matter after the BC Maritime Employers Association requested “urgent intervention” in the dispute which could have seen workers walk of the job Monday.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said in a statement last month that 99 per cent of the nearly 600 longshore foremen who voted were against a "final offer" from the employers association.

On Friday, the union – ILWU Local 514 -- issued strike notice.

However, the CIRB found the requirements for doing so under federal law were not met.

“Specifically, the board finds that, in the circumstances of this case, the union failed to bargain in good faith when it conducted a strike vote amongst the employees of only one member employer of the BCMEA and issued a strike notice based on that strike vote,” the decision says.

“The board directs the union to rescind its strike notice of July 5, 2024, and to advise its members forthwith that the strike notice is rescinded.”

The employer, in response to the CIRB decision, said it has rescinded its notice that any strike action would be met with an industry-wide lockout.

“The BCMEA is disappointed that these steps needed to be taken to ensure the stability of Canada’s West Coast ports but is pleased with the outcomes of the CIRB’s decision,” a statement from the association said.

ILWU Local 514 has not yet issued a public statement on this development.

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, in a statement on social media Saturday, acknowledged the strike and lockout notices.

“Federal mediators are working with the parties to help them reach a deal, and the best deals are made at the bargaining table,” he wrote.

O’Regan has not yet commented on the CIRB ruling.