The union whose strikes have shuttered ports across Canada’s West Coast has decided to tentative settlement agreement up for a vote, just days after rejecting the deal and returning to the picket lines.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) informed employers that the caucus that previously voted down the deal has now given the agreement its thumbs-up.
That means union members will vote next week to ratify the agreement, the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said.
The employers’ group, made up of terminal and ship operators across British Columbia province, ratified the deal on 13 July after its terms were recommended by a federal mediator.
“The tentative agreement presented is the result of months of negotiations and mediation; we are hopeful that the voting membership, like the ILWU Caucus Leadership and Bargaining Committee, will support the fair and equitable deal as recommended by the senior federal mediator,” the BCMEA said.
The decision to put the deal to a vote caps a rollercoaster week in the labour dispute, which had closed terminals for 13 days.
As TradeWinds has reported, the caucus rejected the settlement deal on Tuesday less than a week after negotiators concluded talks. ILWU members quickly went back on strike.
But the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled that the renewed strike was illegal because the union had failed to provide 72 hours’ notice.
Then on Wednesday, ILWU Canada gave notice that it would again return to the picket lines by this weekend.
ILWU Canada president Rob Ashton put the new labour action on ice later that day in a one-sentence notice.
“Effective immediately, the strike notice dated July 22 for 9.00am has now been removed,” he wrote, without providing details.
