THE MUA (Maritime Union of Australia) has thrown its support behind striking dockworkers in Canada this week.
On Monday the MUA called on one of North America’s largest employer associations, the British Columbia Maritime Employer Association (BCMEA), to return to the bargaining table and act in good faith to finalise a new contract that will deliver wage justice and job security to over 7,400 dockworkers on the Canadian coast.
Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) on the Canadian west coast went on strike on Saturday after protracted negotiations for a new pay deal were stymied by the employer representatives at BCMEA.
More than C$800 million (AU$905 million) worth of goods make their way through the western ports each day, accounting for about a quarter of Canada’s total traded goods flow.
‘Like Australian dockworkers, ILWU members in Canada went to work around the clock throughout the entire global pandemic to ensure goods, services, and cargo was available for import and export, including critical food and medical supplies to protect and sustain the community,’ said Paddy Crumlin, National Secretary of the MUA and President of the International Transport Workers Federation.
Collective bargaining between the ILWU and the BCMEA has been underway for 6 months to finalise a new industry-wide employment agreement covering waterside workers on the Canadian west coast.
The union is seeking a fair deal that respects dockworkers, that protects their jobs and respects the jurisdiction of the ILWU, as well as recognition for the hard work and sacrifices that dockworkers made during the pandemic and the extraordinary work that the Longshore Locals did in getting workers out to the terminals during the lockdowns.
The key demands of the Union are:
1. An end to contracting out of work.
2. Protection for current and future generations of dockworkers from the devastating impacts of port automation.
3. A fair pay rise that compensates dockworkers for their contribution to the economy and protects them from the impact of record inflation and spiralling cost of living increases.
The MUA and the ITF Dockers Section support the strike action which commenced July 1, 2023 and will mobilise their members to show support and solidarity for their international sisters and brothers on the Canadian west coast.
Crumlin said: ‘We call on the BCMEA to get back to the negotiating table with the ILWU Canada Bargaining Committee and drop their demands for severe concessions that will hurt the dockworkers who deliver the companies’ profits.
‘It is time the BCMEA employers invested in their workforce and respected their hard-working employees with a new pay deal that keeps up with the cost of living and provides the long term job security that ILWU members deserve.’
As the port workers’ strike in British Columbia went into its third day, retail associations and mayors alike were issuing warnings about the likely impact across the country — and even the continent.
Greg Wilson, the Retail Council of Canada’s director of government relations for BC, said the strike affects supply chains across the continent — a concern for retailers and consumers alike.
‘There will be impacts North American-wide,’ Wilson said in an interview with CBC News.
BC port workers with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) walked off the job Saturday morning.
Their employer, the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA), said bargaining attempts with a federal mediator had been unsuccessful over the course of three days.
On Monday afternoon the association representing the employers released another statement that said negotiations had stalled. The BCMEA said it has gone as far as possible on core issues and its negotiators don’t think that more bargaining will produce a collective agreement.
In response, ILWU released a statement accusing employers of deliberately sabotaging negotiations by abandoning progress the two groups had made around the issue of maintenance workers.
Both sides were at the negotiation table as recently as Monday morning.
Monday’s Statement from the ILWU Canada Longshore Bargaining Committee said: ‘The Union has been bargaining with the Association in good faith since February 16, 2023. . .
‘Early in the bargaining process the union assessed very quickly that the association was not willing to engage in any meaningful way on substantive issues based on our vast experience with how the association approaches collective bargaining.
‘Therefore, the union issued notice of dispute in an effort to move the process along. The parties have been involved with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) since April 2023.
‘The association has accused the union of trying to expand its scope of work beyond regular maintenance. The fact is that the union has been raising the issue of the rampant contracting out of our maintenance work for years. Our focus in this round of bargaining has been to stop the erosion of jurisdiction and the extensive use of contractors.
‘With the assistance of the FMCS we have moved substantially from our original position re “Regular Maintenance”. We have made several attempts to address concerns the association had with our original proposal on article 26.01 (9) and the many versions of documents and proposals that followed.
‘When we finally had a document that was largely agreed upon as the result of continuous movement by the union on this one position the association decided to change their position in an attempt to muddy the water and mischaracterise the work, we have spent months discussing.
‘The BCMEA drew a line in the sand and ended the progress that had been made, so that the new maintenance document would have no ability to achieve the aims set out in it.
The association deliberately sabotaged the progress that had been made, therefore, we must question their motives and the appropriateness of the BCMEA bargaining committee to actually negotiate a collective bargaining agreement.
‘Regarding the union’s monetary positions, the association characterised them as unreasonable and outside the norm of union settlements in Canada. We find this position consistent with how the association approaches most issues.
‘The member employers of the BCMEA have enjoyed record high profits for many years now and especially during the pandemic. The union did not take the position that gorging on massive profits was unreasonable, but we did take the position that it is reasonable for the workers that helped to achieve those record profits in the first place to have a fair and equitable share of them.
‘The government gave a 7% increase to the minimum wage, recognising the high cost of living. For another fair and balanced comparison, one would look at the transportation industry where employers have made their fair share of profits in which their employees were able to share in with similar increases in line with what the government has already recognised as reasonable.
‘We implore the BCMEA to get back to the table to achieve a fair and reasonable agreement that the parties negotiate together. It is unrealistic to think that a collective agreement that is imposed will result in long term labour stability in the industry.
The parties need to put their best effort forward for the entire country and not just their individual aims. We hope that the association is not hiding behind the threat of back-to-work legislation and binding arbitration to avoid engaging in bargaining with the union.
‘We hope the BCMEA is not using its vast resources and connections to vilify the union and scare the public with tales of economic disaster. We hope the association can rise to the occasion and engage in meaningful talks with the union and get a deal done.
‘Rob Ashton, President – ILWU Canada.’
Ashton said: ‘We hope that the association is not hiding behind the threat of back-to-work legislation and binding arbitration to avoid engaging in bargaining with the union.’
The strike affects about 7,400 terminal cargo loaders and 49 of the province’s waterfront employers at more than 30 BC ports, including Canada’s busiest, Vancouver.
In a written statement, the Port of Vancouver said one third of Canada’s international trade moves through the busy port.
‘We hope for a swift and satisfactory resolution for all parties involved,’ the port authority said.
Other ports in BC are also feeling the impact of the strike.
Prince Rupert mayor Herb Pond told CBC News Network host Sarah Galashan that the strike is affecting every aspect of the 12,000-person city on BC’s North Coast.
Pond said: ‘There’s nobody in the town that isn’t affected in one way or another.’
Prince Rupert is Canada’s third largest port, and workers there are also on strike.
Pond said about 4,000 people in the town work in some sort of port-related capacity.
He added: ‘You cannot enter a school classroom or a sports team or the golf course without having people in those groups that are all affected by this strike.
‘So we’re certainly hoping that it’s settled quickly and fairly.’
Pond said he didn’t advocate for the federal government to step in with back-to-work legislation, but he knows Ottawa is keeping a close eye on the strike.
‘The average person in the Vancouver area probably doesn’t even know a longshore worker and wouldn’t know that personal impact on those families, but they will know it when they go to get their Toyota serviced and Toyota can’t get the parts,’ he warned.
