Labor disruptions at Canada West and East coast ports continue

TORONTO (ICIS)–The labor disruptions at Canada’s West and East coast ports continued on Friday while the chemical, fertilizer and other industries keep warning about impacts on manufacturers and the country’s overall economy.

WEST COAST PORTS
At Vancouver and other west coast ports, a strike and lockout by some 730 ship and dock foremen, who supervise more than 7,000 workers, was in its fifth day on Friday.

Employers and union officials are due to meet on Saturday, 9 November, for further negotiations, the British Columbia Maritimes Employers Association (BCMEA) said in an update.

At the Port of Vancouver, which is Canada’s largest port by far, the disruptions impact BCMEA member terminals that employ workers represented by labor union International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514.

Operations at the ports auto and breakbulk sectors and at four container terminals are impacted by the disruptions, and rail embargoes have been put in place, the Port of Vancouver said. However, the port remains open.

PORT OF MONTREAL
In Montreal, a strike at two of the ports four container terminals and a strike on overtime at all four terminals was in its ninth day on Friday.

The two terminals account for about 40% of the port’s total container handling capacity. The port’s logistics dry bulk and liquid bulk terminals, and its grain terminal remain in service.

The Maritime Employers Association (MEA) said on Thursday that it made a final wage offer and wants a reply from labor union Syndicat des debardeurs by Sunday, 10 November, 10:00 local time.

If no agreement is reached, only essential services and activities unrelated to longshoring would continue at the port, starting 10 November, 21:00 local time, MEA said.

CALL FOR GOVERNMENT TO INTERVENE
The CEO of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), Julie Gascon, on Thursday called for federal government intervention to end the dispute.

“There’s no denying that our reputation has been harmed by uncertainty over the reliability of our activities, and in the long run, we are losing competitiveness,” she said.

Federal labor minister Steven MacKinnon reminded port employers and unions that “public services, such as ports, exist to serve the needs of Canadians”.

The negotiations to settle the disputes were “progressing at an insufficient pace”, he said, adding: “The parties must reach an agreement quickly.”

In August, the government intervened in a labor dispute at the country’s freight railroads, ordering the railroads and workers to end their rail shutdown and resume service.

However, political commentators said that the minority government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was hesitant to intervene in the port labor disputes as it relies on the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) for support in parliament to stay in power.

The NDP is close to labor unions. A couple of days after the government’s intervention to end the freight rail labor dispute, the NDP ended a “supply and confidence agreement” from 2022 under which it had committed to supporting the Liberals until June 2025.

The NDP now votes in parliament on a case-by-case basis, it has said. This means that the NDP could vote with the opposition Conservatives to bring the government down and trigger an early election. The Conservatives are far ahead of the Liberals in opinion polls.

Thumbnail photo source: Port of Vancouver