Vancouver: Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan gave a federal mediator 24 hours to send him recommended terms to end the port workers’ strike.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, O’Regan said the gap between the positions of employers and the port workers union in the 11-day-old strike is “not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.”
The minister said once he gets the terms from the mediator, he’ll forward them to both sides and they’ll have another 24 hours to decide whether to ratify the principles of the deal.
About 7,400 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada have been on strike since July 1, halting cargo in and out of about 30 ports in B.C., including Canada’s largest, the Port of Vancouver.
The workers say they’re fighting for protections against contracting out and automation, as well as pushing for higher wages.
O’Regan saod a good deal is “within reach” for both the union and the BC Maritime Employers Association. — Canadian Press