Labour minister asks mediator for terms to end B.C. port strike

The federal labour minister says he has given a federal mediator 24 hours to send him recommended terms to end the British Columbia port strike.

On Tuesday evening, Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan — who is in Vancouver with federal mediators trying to break an impasse at the negotiating table — said that a good deal was "within reach" for both parties after more than a week of negotiations to end the strike that started on July 1.

"After 11 days of a work stoppage, I have decided that the difference between the employer's and the union's position is not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage," he wrote in a statement.

O'Regan said Tuesday evening he has asked the senior federal mediator to send him a written recommendation on the terms of the deal within a day.

"Once I have received the terms of settlement, I will forward them to the parties, and they will have 24 hours to decide whether or not to recommend ratification of the terms to their principals," he said.

Some 7,500 dock workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) walked off the job on July 1 after failing to agree on a new wage deal with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

The union says the BCMEA is refusing to give a fair pay increase despite making billions of dollars in profits in recent years. The association says it is negotiating in good faith while blaming the strike for damaging trade and the economy...

This was excerpted from the 11 July 2023 edition of CBC News.