B.C. port workers call off notice for another strike

There won’t be another work stoppage at British Columbia ports this coming weekend, following a whirlwind of events.

The union representing workers at the port has withdrawn a 72-hour strike notice it issued Wednesday morning. 

The withdrawal is “effective immediately,” International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada president Rob Ashton said in a news release around 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to a CBC report.

The strike notice the union served the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) detailed a labour action that would have started at 9 a.m. PT Saturday morning. 

The BCMEA said the cancelled strike notice showed that the situation continued to be "fluid and unpredictable," and that it would communicate with stakeholders once clarification was received, according to the CBC report.

Minister of labour call strike illegal

ILWU Canada issued the strike notice after Seamus O'Regan Jr., Canada’s minister of labour, said that the union’s job action on Tuesday was against the law.

“The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) – an independent body created to keep industrial peace – this morning ruled that the ILWU Canada cease and desist from participating in any strike action because the union did not provide 72 hours’ notice,” O'Regan said via Twitter.

“This strike is illegal.”

Tuesday’s labour action came after the union rejected a tentative mediated deal.

ILWU Canada claimed that the four-year term of the mediator's proposed agreement was "far too long" and "employers have not addressed the cost of living issues" faced by workers in the last few years.

Earlier, O'Regan said that striking Canadian dock workers in B.C. and the BCMEA could be nearing a bargaining agreement.

Federal Incident Response Group

With all that has happened, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the federal Incident Response Group "to discuss the situation in British Columbia's ports," on Wednesday afternoon.

The group is "responsible for coordinating a prompt federal response to an incident, and making fast, effective decisions,” according to a CTV News report.

The group was briefed on the latest developments and discussed the impact of the situation on the country's exports, imports and international trade reputation, according to the Prime Minister's Office. 

"The prime minister stressed the critical importance of resuming operations in our ports as soon as possible," read the readout from his office issued after the meeting. "He asked ministers and senior officials their advice toward achieving this goal and directed them to pursue all available options to ensure the stability of our supply chains and to protect Canadian jobs and our economy."

Previously, several groups called for a federal government intervention as ILWU Canada and the BCMEA had not been able to come to an agreement.