It has been 12 days since 7,400 unionized waterfront employees walked off the job, affecting the Port of Vancouver, the Port of Prince Rupert in Northern B.C. and terminals on Vancouver Island.
And with negotiations faltering, concern over the economic impact of the work stoppage has been growing, with the ripple effects felt clear across the country. As The Globe’s Brent Jang and Kate Helmore reported, one estimate from employers is that $8.5-billion of cargo had been affected as of Tuesday. Meanwhile the BC Maritime Employers Association, which represents 49 private-sector companies such as ship owners and terminal operators, warned that the economic impact is escalating.
Business groups and an array of politicians, including premiers, have been urging the federal Liberal government to recall Parliament to introduce back-to-work legislation.
But so far the federal government has been rejecting those calls. Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said Tuesday that reaching a settlement through bargaining, not back-to-work legislation, is preferable.
“We need to get goods moving. But we must take a measured approach that is in the interest of all Canadians, rather than using blunt instruments,” Mr. O’Regan said in a statement. “We need to protect the collective bargaining process as a fundamental pillar of our democracy.”
While the union representing B.C. port workers on strike blames the “greed” of shippers, the labour disruption is causing major headaches in some industries.
In Saskatchewan, Fertilizer company Nutrien Ltd. has halted production at its Cory potash mine because there is no more storage space at the Neptune bulk terminal, located at the Port of Vancouver. While the company says it will switch to maintenance projects scheduled for later in the year, there is a possibility that the ongoing strike could lead to further shutdowns at other mines operated by the company.
And while the effects of the strike are being felt across Canada, the job action has also spilled south across the border.
International Longshore and Warehouse Union International president Willie Adams told U.S. media last week that members of the U.S. West Coast chapter of the union won’t be unloading Canadian-bound cargo in solidarity with the striking workers in B.C.
Adams spoke at a rally in Vancouver on Sunday, saying that Canada-bound cargo at Tacoma, Seattle, Oakland or Los Angeles would not be offloaded.
Striking dock workers and their employer sat down at the bargaining table last weekend for the first time since negotiations collapsed a week ago. It is unknown when further negotiations will be held.
The two sides are at an impasse, as jurisdiction over maintenance, as well as improved wages and language to prevent contracting out and automation, are key issues in the dispute.
This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.
Wendy Cox