Mediator named to end B.C. port strike

The federal labour minister has named a mediator and asked them to help end a days-long strike at B.C.’s ports.

In a statement Tuesday, day 11 of the strike, Seamus O’Regan said he has “decided that the difference between the employer’s and the union’s positions is not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.”

“As a result of the hard work by the parties at the bargaining table, there is a good deal within reach – one that would work for both the employer and the union. I immediately asked that the senior federal mediator send a written recommendation of the terms of settlement to me within 24 hours. Once I have received the terms of the settlement, I will forward them to the parties and they will have 24 hours to decide whether or not to recommend ratification of the terms to their principals,” the statement explained.

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About 7,400 workers at more than 30 B.C. ports have been on strike since Canada Day over issues including pay and provisions related to maintenance work, contracting out, and automation.

The ongoing labour disruptions have led to major supply chain concerns.

Business organizations and some politicians have publicly called for the federal government to bring in back-to-work legislation. However, O’Regan has previously said negotiations are the way to go.

In his statement Tuesday, O’Regan stressed the importance of the “relationship between industry and labour,” saying Canada’s economy depends on it.

“The scale of this disruption shows how important the relationship between the (BC Maritime Employers Association) and the (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) is to our national interest,” he explained. “We cannot allow this work stoppage to persist and risk further damage to the relationship between these parties.”

On Wednesday, a statement from Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says his organization welcomes the federal government’s action.

Alberta premier Danielle Smith said in a tweet Tuesday night that she appreciates O’Regan’s efforts to end the strike and hopes for a resolution within 48 hours.

The union and employers association have not commented on the minister’s intervention, although the association confirmed the notice from O’Regan’s office arrived late Tuesday afternoon, potentially starting the 24-hour clock.

Pickets remained at B.C. ports Wednesday and, although Beatty’s statement expressed approval of O’Regan’s action, it was also terse.

“We have been calling for immediate intervention from the federal government and urge them to ensure they pursue a course of action that brings an end to this strike as swiftly as possible, preventing further impacts on Canadian families, Canadian businesses, and the Canadian economy,” Beatty said in the release.

The call for recommendations from the federal mediator brought a stern reaction from the United Truckers Association.

“The UTA is warning the federal government of potential escalation of disruption should they consider any kind of imposition of settlement,” the association said in a news release.

Spokesman Gagan Singh said the association’s members “continue to suffer” from what he called the failure of the federal government to fulfil the commitments of an imposed settlement in 2014 and he warned O’Regan “not to make the same mistake.”

O’Regan ordered the federal mediator to submit recommendations, saying the gap between the positions of the BC Maritime Employers Association and the longshore union is “not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.”

A good deal is “within reach” for both the union and the BC Maritime Employers Association, he said, adding it was in the interests of all sides that an agreement is reached as soon as possible.

“The scale of this disruption shows how important the relationship between the BCMEA and the ILWU is to our national interest,” O’Regan said in the statement shared on Twitter.

“We cannot allow this work stoppage to persist and risk further damage to the relationship between these parties.”

The union has said key issues include improved wages, jurisdiction over maintenance and protections against contracting out and automation.

–With files from The Canadian Press