Another tentative deal reached in B.C. port workers dispute | CBC News

The two sides involved in a labour dispute affecting about 7,400 port workers in British Columbia say they’ve reached another tentative deal.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) and B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) issued a joint statement late Sunday saying the deal was reached with help from the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which had been tasked with ending the dispute that had dragged on since the beginning of the month.

A statement from the union offered no details on the new deal but said both sides are encouraging union members and member employers to ratify the agreement. 

The dispute over a new collective agreement saw workers strike from July 1 to 13, stalling billions of dollars worth of cargo from moving in or out of some of the country’s busiest ports.

The ILWU members rejected a second tentative deal Friday evening, placing more than 30 port terminals and other sites back in limbo once again after strike action earlier this month stopped operations in key ports such as Vancouver, Canada’s largest.

The late Sunday night announcement came after federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan announced Saturday he was directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to determine if a negotiated deal is still possible in the month-long dispute and, if not, to impose an agreement or final binding arbitration on the two sides.

Earlier Sunday, the ILWU issued a letter to employers, outlining what it was looking for in a new collective agreement while saying it was committed to negotiating a resolution.

ILWU President Rob Ashton said in the letter a deal voted down by union members Friday included some progress, but more was needed to address protection for port workers as more maintenance work gets contracted out to third parties.

Ashton told CBC News Sunday evening the union was not commenting on the new deal beyond the details of the joint statement.

The BCMEA, through which employers are negotiating, said Friday’s rejected deal included a compounded wage increase of 19.2 per cent and a signing bonus amounting to about $3,000 per full-time worker.

It added the result would have “potentially” boosted union longshore workers’ median annual wage from $136,000 to $162,000, not including pension and benefits.