By Chuck Chiang
Business and industry groups are applauding a deal between British Columbia‘s port employers and supervisors, but say further damage may still be possible if the federal government does not ensure Canada’s reputation as a reliable trade partner.
Greater Vancouver Board of Trade president Bridgitte Anderson says in a statement that disruptions due to strikes and lockouts at B.C. ports have affected more than $19 billion in trade goods.
Anderson says the federal government should do anything it can to “ensure certainty and stability in our supply chains” moving forward.
Her comments come after the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship and Dock Foremen Local 514 jointly announced a new agreement that extends to March 31, 2027.
A separate deal was signed with longshore workers in August 2023 after a strike, and the two agreements look set to ensure labour peace among thousands of port employees for roughly two years.
Grain Growers of Canada executive director Kyle Larkin says the country must do everything it can to avoid a repeat of labour turmoil in 2024.
It was a year that saw B.C. port employers lock out supervisors, job action in a dispute involving grain terminal employees, and a railway lockout involving both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
“There is a better path forward,” Larkin says. “There are jurisdictions around the world who have very strong labour relations, but they also have a strong economy. We need to look at the examples that they have and build on them.”
Details of the new agreement between B.C. employers and port supervisors have not been released.
