B.C. port strike: New tentative deal would mean ‘long-term stability,’ O’Regan says

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and BC Maritime Employers Association said in a joint statement Sunday that they are recommending members ratify the deal.

A new tentative deal reached between the two sides involved in a labour dispute impacting some 7,400 British Columbia port workers would mean “long-term stability” if ratified, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan says.

The deal was reached late Sunday night with the assistance of the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said in a joint statement they are recommending their members to ratify it.

“The ILWU and the BCMEA reached a new tentative agreement, with the help of the Canada Industrial Relations Board. In a joint statement, both parties agreed to recommend ratification,” O’Regan said in a tweet Monday.

“Our ports are operating, but this deal — made by the parties — would mean long-term stability.”

For 13 days this month beginning July 1, some 7,400 port workers at 30 ports in the province walked off the job, stalling billions worth of cargo from moving in or out at some of Canada’s busiest terminals.

That strike came to an end when the sides reached a tentative deal, but that was rejected by union leaders on July 18. Workers were briefly back to the picket lines, but that move was deemed illegal by the industrial relations board as 72-hour notice was not provided.