Federal Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan says the renewed strike by 7,400 longshoremen at British Columbia ports has been declared illegal by the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
In a Twitter post, O’Regan wrote Wednesday that the board ordered the union to cease all strike activity because it failed to give 72 hours’ notice.
The union’s leadership on Tuesday rejected the four-year tentative agreement, which had been proposed by a federal mediator at the request of Minister O’Regan.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada explained that “employers have failed to address the cost of living issues” facing workers. Union authorities also believe that the tentative agreement does not protect jobs “today or for the future”.
In a joint statement, released at midnight Wednesday, Minister O’Regan and his transport colleague, Omar Alghabra, said workers and employers across the country could not cope with further disruption. The ministers indicate that they are studying the “different possible options”.
They say they have been patient and have respected the collective bargaining process, but believe the ports need to work. The ministers deplore that the leaders of the union did not submit the agreement in principle to the longshoremen, when they had agreed Thursday to recommend it to their members.
“We should not be in this situation, write the federal ministers. The agreement presented to the parties is the result of a constructive and substantial collective bargaining process. This is a fair and balanced agreement. »
The resumption of the strike means that more than 30 port terminals and other sites across the province are again closed indefinitely. The strike called on 1er July had “frozen” for 13 days billions of dollars worth of goods entering and leaving British Columbia ports, including Canada’s busiest port, Vancouver.
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association said the union rejected the tentative agreement without submitting it to the stevedores.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday demanded that the Prime Minister “announce a plan to end this strike within the next 24 hours”.
“We can’t pay the price,” he said at a press briefing in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It is expensive for workers, consumers and businesses. We have to put an end to this. »
NDP Transportation Critic Taylor Bachrach said rejecting a tentative deal is part of union bargaining rights.
“We know that the team [syndicale] is ready to return to the table immediately and we encourage other parties to do the same,” Bachrach said. We also reiterate our call on the federal government to support the collective bargaining process, rather than resorting to the type of back to work legislation that Liberal and Conservative governments have too often imposed. »
The union’s decision effectively prompted the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) to again call on the federal government to pass special legislation in the Commons to force longshoremen back to work.
“So far, the strike has already had a very negative impact on small and medium-sized businesses across the country,” CFIB Executive Vice-President Corinne Pohlmann said in a statement. Moreover, it damages Canada’s reputation as a reliable trading partner. Allowing the strike to drag on any longer is negligent and will only worsen supply chain disruptions. »
Robin Guy, vice-president and deputy head, government relations, at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said any further delays would cause more damage to the Canadian economy. “We call on the government and all parties to agree to reconvene Parliament and pass back-to-work legislation immediately. »