The strike of the port workers at Canada’s west coast ports has come to an end after International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada and BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) accepted the Terms of Settlement from federal mediators and reached a tentative agreement.
The parties are now finalising details for the resumption of work at the ports, according to a joint statement by Canadian ministers Seamus O’Regan Jr and Omar Alghabra.
“We thank the Union and the Employer for their commitment to the collective bargaining process, and federal mediators for their instrumental role in supporting the parties in their negotiations and proposing the successful settlement,” said the ministers.
The two ministers pointed out that the scale of supply chain disruption has been “significant” and has highlighted the importance of the relationship between the industry and labour.
“We do not want to be back here again. Deals like this, made between parties at the collective bargaining table, are the best way to prevent that. They are the best way to preserve the long-term stability of Canada’s economy. But we do not want to be back here again,” emphasised the Canadian government’s representatives.
