A shot in the water. The wage agreement reached last week between the British Columbia Maritime Employers’ Association (BCMEA) and the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union of Canada (ILWUC) to put an end to the strike movement which has paralyzed the ports of Western Canada was rejected by union members who resumed picketing on Tuesday, July 18. Among the affected ports is Vancouver, the largest in the country.
Representing more than 7,000 workers at 30 western Canadian ports, the ILWUC said it doubted the four-year deal would protect “the jobs of today or tomorrow.”
After months of negotiations, more than 7,000 terminal loaders and 49 employers led a strike in early July with major economic consequences.
Repercussions on the global market
“With the record profits companies have made in recent years, employers have failed to address the cost of living issues that our workers have faced for the past two years,” the union also said in its statement.
The resumption of this strike will have significant repercussions on the North American market, but also on the world because of the significant trade with Asia and the United States. More than 500 million Canadian dollars (346 million euros) of goods transit every day through the ports concerned, specifies the association on its website.