Breakthrough in B.C. port dispute as new tentative deal is reached

The two sides involved in a labour dispute affecting about 7,400 port workers in British Columbia say they've reached another tentative deal.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) and B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) issued a joint statement late Sunday saying the deal was reached with help from the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which had been tasked with ending the dispute that had dragged on since the beginning of the month.

A statement from the union offered no details on the new deal but said both sides are encouraging union members and member employers to ratify the agreement.

The breakthrough in the dispute came after union members voted Friday to reject a previous deal, prompting federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan to intervene Saturday and direct the board to determine if a negotiated agreement was still possible.

O'Regan said that otherwise the board was to "impose final binding arbitration."

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was still "hopeful" the two sides would find a solution at the bargaining table.

"Yes, there have been concerns and worries about how things were unfolding over the past days but we have another offer, there is another potential deal on the table and we're, as always, hopeful that that negotiating at the bargaining table continues to be at the centre of what everyone needs to continue to do," he said.

The dispute over a new collective agreement saw workers strike from July 1 to 13, stalling billions of dollars worth of cargo from moving in or out of 30 port terminals and other sites, including some of the country's busiest ports.

The previous tentative deal halted that strike, but since then the fate of any agreement has see-sawed wildly, with union leaders rejecting the deal on July 19 and briefly sending workers back to pickets, before that move was deemed illegal by the industrial relations board.

The union issued a new 72-hour strike notice only to rescind it hours later, then announced it would recommend the deal to members in a full vote. But members rejected it last week.

Before the new agreement was reached, union president Rob Ashton said in a letter Sunday that workers looked "forward to resuming discussions and finding common ground for the betterment of the Canadian supply chain and the livelihoods of its workforce."

Ashton said that while the deal voted down Friday included "progress in addressing certain workforce-related matters," it did not provide protection for port workers as more maintenance work gets contracted out to third-parties.

Pressure mountsto end dispute

Neither side offered a glimpse of the new deal.

But the employers association said the previously rejected contract included a compounded wage increase of 19.2 per cent and a signing bonus amounting to about $3,000 per full-time worker. It added the result would have "potentially" boosted a union longshore worker'smedian annual wage from $136,000 to $162,000, not including pension and benefits.

Pressure had been mounting for federal intervention if a deal failed to eventuate.

Parties including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the Business Council of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business all urged the federal government to legislate an end to the dispute if it continued.

O'Regan had said in his statement Saturday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's July 19 decision to meet with the incident response group a move typically reserved for moments of national crisis showed "the government is prepared for all options and eventualities."

"The state of uncertainty cannot continue," O'Regan had said. "While our B.C. ports are operating right now, we need long-term stability for the many workers and businesses that depend on them."

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British Columbia ports are not the only sites of tense labour disputes this summer, as frustration over wages and job security prompt other strikes across the country, from Manitoba Liquor Marts to Toronto supermarkets.