Work stoppages that have halted container imports at Canada’s busiest ports are likely to end.
Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon on Tuesday asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to end lockouts of union workers and resume port operations at the Port of Montreal and the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert in British Columbia.
The order would also establish binding arbitration in the Long Coast bicoastal contract disputes and extend current collective agreements until new pacts are agreed upon.
Vancouver and Montreal rank first and second in container throughput among Canadian ports.
MacKinnon’s order also addresses a long-standing labor dispute at the Port of Quebec.
“The work stoppages at the ports of British Columbia and the Port of Montreal are having a significant impact on our supply chains, thousands of Canadian jobs, our economy and our reputation as a reliable trading partner,” MacKinnon said in a statement to we simply cannot afford it at the moment.”
It is the second time in recent months that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has intervened to end the work stoppage. In August, the Labor Council ended a lockout of union workers at CN and CPKC, briefly shutting down the country’s rail network.
In Montreal, terminal operators and ocean lines represented by the Maritime Employers Association welcomed MacKinnon’s announcement after asking the government to intervene in what they said was a “total impasse” in contract negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) .
The union quickly condemned Ottawa’s decision.
“This is a dark day for workers’ rights,” CUPE president Patrick Gloutney said in a statement. “The right to bargain collectively is a constitutional right. It is not a tradable right. In the case of the Port of Montreal, this is surprising, because the employer declared the lockout last Sunday evening and immediately asked for government intervention, without really negotiating.”
Neither Vancouver port officials nor the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association said it is too early to say how long it might take to fully recover from the disruption. Three to four weeks of downtime per day is considered a guideline for the industry.
“With today’s announcement from the Secretary of Labor, our focus is on working with all partners in the port community, including shipping and rail companies, labor and maritime terminals, to restore full port operations and fluidity as quickly as possible,” said the Vancouver Fraser Port. The authority wrote this in a statement sent by email.
