More than 7,000 dockworkers at British Columbia’s ports plan to walk off the job and begin a strike on July 1 as negotiations aimed at reaching a new contract falter.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU), which represents 7,200 dockworkers in B.C., said it “has run out options at the bargaining table,” as it issued a strike notice for Canada Day.
The ILWU and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association, which represents about 50 waterfront companies and terminal operators in the province, have been negotiating since February of this year.
The two sides are trying to renew a collective agreement that expired on March 31. A strike by the dockworkers would impact Vancouver, Canada’s biggest and busiest maritime port.
The union says it wants to stop employers from contracting out work and protect its members from growing port automation.
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association says it would prefer to enter the federal mediation process with the union. ILWU has rejected calls for mediation in the labour dispute.
Earlier in June, unionized dockworkers along the U.S. west coast reached a new six-year collective agreement that avoided a prolonged labour disruption following more than a year of negotiations.
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