Canada's Labour minister has ordered the Industrial Relations Board to step in to end the Canadian port strike
Canada's Labour Minister Steve McKinnon has ordered the Industrial Relations Board (IRB) to step in to end the strike at ports on the East and west coasts.
The order will also guide binding arbitration of cross-strait terminal contract disputes and extend the current collective agreement until a new one is reached.
"The responsibility for these negotiations rests squarely with the parties, but all Canadians bear the brunt of their impact." We simply cannot afford this uncertainty and instability right now. The shutdown has severely impacted our supply chain, jobs and economy."
He stressed that he believes it is still possible for the two sides to reach an agreement that "avoids layoffs and other losses," but he also warned that "Canadians have a limited tolerance for economic self-harm right now."
Vancouver and Montreal rank first and second in container throughput at Canadian ports.
It is the second time in recent months that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has intervened to end the shutdown. In August, the Labor Commission ended a work stoppage by CN and CPKC union employees that briefly shut down the country's rail network.
According to Reuters, Local Chapter 514 of the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union, which represents longshoremen in British Columbia, will "protest this order in court" and will not forget "how employers and the federal Liberal government have attacked all workers."
The move comes after the local chapter 375 of the Montreal Dockworkers' union CUPE rejected a "final offer" from the Maritime Employers Association on Sunday. The final offer includes a cumulative pay increase of more than 20 percent over six years, retroactive to the beginning of 2024.
The order will also guide binding arbitration of cross-strait terminal contract disputes and extend the current collective agreement until a new one is reached.
"The responsibility for these negotiations rests squarely with the parties, but all Canadians bear the brunt of their impact." We simply cannot afford this uncertainty and instability right now. The shutdown has severely impacted our supply chain, jobs and economy."
He stressed that he believes it is still possible for the two sides to reach an agreement that "avoids layoffs and other losses," but he also warned that "Canadians have a limited tolerance for economic self-harm right now."
Vancouver and Montreal rank first and second in container throughput at Canadian ports.
It is the second time in recent months that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has intervened to end the shutdown. In August, the Labor Commission ended a work stoppage by CN and CPKC union employees that briefly shut down the country's rail network.
According to Reuters, Local Chapter 514 of the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union, which represents longshoremen in British Columbia, will "protest this order in court" and will not forget "how employers and the federal Liberal government have attacked all workers."
The move comes after the local chapter 375 of the Montreal Dockworkers' union CUPE rejected a "final offer" from the Maritime Employers Association on Sunday. The final offer includes a cumulative pay increase of more than 20 percent over six years, retroactive to the beginning of 2024.
