ILWU Canada members end strikes

With International Longshore and Warehouse Union members voting 75% in favour of the four-year agreement reached in Western Canada and the port of Halifax, Montreal is the last major container port to agree a new labor contract, as the federally arbitrated one expires at the end of the year. 

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) confirmed that three-quarters of its membership voted in favour of the contract, in a move that ends five weeks of disruption, including 13 days of strikes, a one-day wildcat strike, and the rejection of three earlier attempts at agreements.

The Canadian government had directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to resolve the dispute, in a bid to to keep two of Canada’s busiest ports, Vancouver and Prince Rupert, open.

There is widespread discontent across the transport, industrial and commercial sectors in Canada about how the dispute unfolded and resulted in an extended strike and other disruptions at ports in British Columbia.

Business groups welcomed the deal but called on the federal government to come up with new ways to deal with such disputes, with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce saying that supply chains are only as strong as their weakest link and that after 35 days of disruption to West Coast ports, it’s time for Government to consider new tools that can be used in the face of labor disputes in sectors that are critical to Canada’s supply chain.

If you have any concerns about the issues raised in this article, we can review your situation, explain your options and, if necessary, consider alternative access ports into Canada or the United States.

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