Gantry cranes sit idle as a container ship is docked at port during a work stoppage, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Voting among British Columbia port workers on a new agreement with employers is scheduled to conclude today, with the result deciding whether the months-long labour dispute will end or continue. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s port workers have voted almost 75 per cent in favour of accepting a contract offer, ending weeks of turbulent job action that stopped billions of dollars’ worth of goods from being shipped.
In a statement on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada website, president Rob Ashton says the results of the latest ratification vote came in 74.66 per cent in favour of the agreement.
The results come after two days of voting this week by full union membership, following the ILWU and the BC Maritime Employers Association jointly announcing a tentative agreement last Sunday night.
The approval of the contract, which covers about 7,400 workers, comes after the union rejected a mediated settlement twice in July – once through the group’s leadership caucus, another by full membership.
The last full membership vote rejecting a deal on July 28 led to federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to assess if a negotiated deal was still possible, and if not, the board was directed to impose a new deal or binding arbitration.
The union and the employers said in their joint statement last week that the industrial relations board helped both parties reach the latest agreement that has now been ratified by both sides.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2023.
