Both sides of B.C. port strike now considering mediator’s recommended deal

A federal mediator appointed to help bring an end to the B.C. port strike has delivered their recommendations to both sides of the dispute, meaning the parties are now on deadline to respond on Thursday morning at the latest.

A spokesperson for Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan confirmed to CBC News that the mediator had handed over their recommended settlement at 10:30 a.m. PT.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association now have 24 hours to decide whether to ratify the deal in principle — that is, until 10:30 a.m. PT Thursday.

O’Regan appointed the mediator Tuesday after deciding the sticking point in negotiations wasn’t enough to justify the ongoing strike.

About 7,400 dock workers have been on strike since July 1, halting cargo in and out of more than 30 ports in B.C., including Vancouver — Canada’s busiest.

The strike so far has cost an estimated $5.5 billion, based on industry body Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters’ calculation of about $500 million in disrupted trade every day.

The ticking clock on the mediator’s recommendation could mark the beginning of a resolution for the strike, but business owners have said the current backlogs will still take weeks to sort out.

In an interview with David Cochrane on CBC’s Power and Politics, O’Regan characterized the move to ask for the mediator’s recommendations as a “forceful nudge” for both parties.

“I am very confident that when the members of both sides see this, see the terms, that they will see the deal that they have created and this will end,” he said.

In response to various premiers’ calls for back-to-work legislation, O’Regan said that good labour deals took time and he did not want to swing around legislation “at the drop of a hat.”

“It’s not like these two weeks were in vain. They worked extremely hard to arrive at what they have been presented with,” the minister said. “It’s just that sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.”

Business owners worry about impact

Further delays will affect the bottom line, according to some business owners.

“My stress level gets higher and higher as each day goes on. I really, really would like this to end yesterday so we can at least feel like some of this mess is going to get cleaned up in the next month or so,” said Andrea Crackwell, who owns Pine Lighting Victoria.

“I’ve got six people that rely on me for their paycheques — they’re like a family to me, and I’d do anything for them — but it gets hard to figure out how to keep them making enough money to survive.”

ILWU, which is representing the workers, said they’re fighting for jurisdiction over maintenance and protections against contracting out and automation, as well as pushing for higher wages.

The union said the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) is refusing to give a fair pay increase despite making billions of dollars in profits in recent years. The BCMEA says it is negotiating in good faith while blaming the strike for damaging trade and the economy.

Issues like the cost of living, port automation and outside contracting were the main points of contention when ILWU workers went on strike.

In statements late on Monday, both sides blamed each other for failing to reach a new deal. The association said its proposals to address ILWU Canada’s demand to expand the union’s jurisdiction over regular maintenance work on terminals were rejected by the union.

 

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