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Labour minister steps in to end B.C. port strike

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan is stepping in to end the port workers strike that has shut down all B.C. ports since Canada Day.

“Today, after 11 days of a work stoppage, I have decided that the difference between the employer’s and the union’s positions is not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage,” O’Regan said in a July 11 statement.

Thanks to the hard work by the BCMEA & the ILWU at the bargaining table, there is a good deal within reach.

My statement on the negotiations: pic.twitter.com/Wj53pknS4S

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— Seamus O'Regan Jr (@SeamusORegan) July 12, 2023

He added that the two sides have a “good deal within reach.”

“I immediately asked that the senior federal mediator to send a written recommendation of the terms of settlement to me within 24 hours.”

O’Regan explained that the proposal will then be forwarded to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and they will have 24 hours to decide whether or not to ratify.

“The BCMEA and ILWU have worked long and hard to negotiate a deal. It is in the interest of everyone – the employer, the union, and all Canadians – that they agree to that deal as soon as possible,” the minister said.