BC Ports Closed Due to Lockout in Ongoing Labour Dispute
One of Canada’s most vital trade arteries is severed as employers at most of British Columbia’s ports lock out their workers in a dispute involving about 700 unionized foremen.
The BC Maritime Employers Association states that it defensively locked out members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 after the union initiated strike activity yesterday.
However, union president Frank Morena argues that the employers reacted excessively to the union’s original plan for an overtime ban, and that its negotiators are prepared to resume talks at any time.
Canadian political and business leaders express concern over another work stoppage at the ports, following job action from major railways earlier this year and a 13-day strike in a separate labor dispute last year.
The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade announces the relaunch of its Port Shutdown Calculator, a tool designed to showcase the economic damage caused by the labor dispute and introduced during last year’s job action.
Board president Bridgitte Anderson warns that the latest port shutdown will disrupt $800 million worth of goods daily, with each hour of closure fueling inflation.
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“This shutdown is the latest in a long line of highly damaging labor disputes that have hurt Canada’s economy and international reputation,” Anderson emphasizes.
“Through the Port Shutdown Calculator, we want to demonstrate the profound and escalating impact of this labor dispute.”
The employers and the workers represented by Local 514 have been without a contract since March 2023.
