After a possible resolution was reached to end the West Coast port strike, Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said the cabinet does “not want to be back here again.” . Vancouver portPort of Vancouver .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, O'Regan did not explain his statement..“The scale of this disruption has been significant,” O’Regan said in a statement. .“The extent of it has shown just how important the relationship between industry and labour is to our national interest.”.“We do not want to be back here again,” said O’Regan. .Negotiations “are the best way to prevent that. But we do not want to be back here again.”.Neither the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) nor International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) would disclose the text of the tentative agreement. .It came on the twelfth day of the Port of Vancouver shut down after federal mediators served 24 hours’ notice of an exchange of final proposals..“The difference between the employers’ and the union’s position is not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage,” O’Regan said Wednesday. Cabinet could “not allow this work stoppage to persist and risk further damage.”.“Our nation’s economy depends on the relationship between industry and labour,” said O’Regan. .“The scale of this disruption shows how important the relationship between the Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore & Warehouse Union is to our national interest.”.Since 1972, Parliament used back-to-work legislation nine times to stop disputes between longshore and grain handlers in British Columbia. The BCMEA, which represents employers, said that the strike this summer cost $800 million each day, but they did not give any details about how they came up with that number..There is no set date for when cargo handling will start again at the Port of Vancouver, which is the biggest port in Canada..Shippers would “resume operations as soon as possible,” the BCMEA said in a statement. .“Details of the agreement will not be released at this time.”.“We must collectively work together to not only restore cargo operations as quickly and safely as possible but to also rebuild the reputation of Canada’s largest gateway,” said the BCMEA..In 2021, the Cabinet decided to use back-to-work legislation to stop a strike at the Port of Montréal after five days. They said it was because the strike was causing harm to the reputation of the port. .On Tuesday, the Canadian Labour Congress told the prime minister that labour groups nationwide were against using a similar law to end the strike on the West Coast..READ MORE BC Port strike, labour leaders warn Trudeau to not use back-to-work legislation.“Unions are committed to being partners to industry to help Canada build a strong, skilled workforce ready to power Canada’s economy, but if the right to strike is weakened by the government legislating the ILWU members back to work, it will have a significant impact on every Canadian who expects to have their rights protected by their government,” Bea Bruske, president of the Labour Congress, wrote in a petition to the prime minister..“Legislating workers back to work tramples on every Canadian’s Charter right to freedom of association and the right to bargain the terms and conditions of employment,” wrote Bruske. .“It also makes a mockery of Canada’s commitments to fundamental labour freedoms.”
After a possible resolution was reached to end the West Coast port strike, Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said the cabinet does “not want to be back here again.” . Vancouver portPort of Vancouver .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, O'Regan did not explain his statement..“The scale of this disruption has been significant,” O’Regan said in a statement. .“The extent of it has shown just how important the relationship between industry and labour is to our national interest.”.“We do not want to be back here again,” said O’Regan. .Negotiations “are the best way to prevent that. But we do not want to be back here again.”.Neither the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) nor International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) would disclose the text of the tentative agreement. .It came on the twelfth day of the Port of Vancouver shut down after federal mediators served 24 hours’ notice of an exchange of final proposals..“The difference between the employers’ and the union’s position is not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage,” O’Regan said Wednesday. Cabinet could “not allow this work stoppage to persist and risk further damage.”.“Our nation’s economy depends on the relationship between industry and labour,” said O’Regan. .“The scale of this disruption shows how important the relationship between the Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore & Warehouse Union is to our national interest.”.Since 1972, Parliament used back-to-work legislation nine times to stop disputes between longshore and grain handlers in British Columbia. The BCMEA, which represents employers, said that the strike this summer cost $800 million each day, but they did not give any details about how they came up with that number..There is no set date for when cargo handling will start again at the Port of Vancouver, which is the biggest port in Canada..Shippers would “resume operations as soon as possible,” the BCMEA said in a statement. .“Details of the agreement will not be released at this time.”.“We must collectively work together to not only restore cargo operations as quickly and safely as possible but to also rebuild the reputation of Canada’s largest gateway,” said the BCMEA..In 2021, the Cabinet decided to use back-to-work legislation to stop a strike at the Port of Montréal after five days. They said it was because the strike was causing harm to the reputation of the port. .On Tuesday, the Canadian Labour Congress told the prime minister that labour groups nationwide were against using a similar law to end the strike on the West Coast..READ MORE BC Port strike, labour leaders warn Trudeau to not use back-to-work legislation.“Unions are committed to being partners to industry to help Canada build a strong, skilled workforce ready to power Canada’s economy, but if the right to strike is weakened by the government legislating the ILWU members back to work, it will have a significant impact on every Canadian who expects to have their rights protected by their government,” Bea Bruske, president of the Labour Congress, wrote in a petition to the prime minister..“Legislating workers back to work tramples on every Canadian’s Charter right to freedom of association and the right to bargain the terms and conditions of employment,” wrote Bruske. .“It also makes a mockery of Canada’s commitments to fundamental labour freedoms.”
