West coast dock workers in Canada and their employers’ association reached a settlement agreement on Sunday night, the parties said in a joint statement, as they look to end a dispute that risked further disruptions at the country’s busiest ports.
Both the International Longshore and Warehouse Canada union (ILWU) and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) are recommending the ratification of the new agreement, the statement said.
The ILWU, representing about 7,500 dock workers, had been negotiating a new contract with BCMEA for months.
Neither the union nor the employers’ association disclosed the details of the new settlement agreement, but the parties said the deal was reached with the assistance of the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).
The tentative agreement comes two days after workers turned down a proposed labour contract, following which the labour minister directed the CIRB to resolve the dispute.
That rejected deal had provided a compounded wage increase of 19.2% and increased retirement payouts in 2026 to C$96,250 ($72,625) for eligible retiring employees, over and above employees’ pension entitlements, according to the employers’ association.
It also included a signing bonus of C$1.48 per hour worked to be paid to each employee and an 18.5% increase to a Modernization and Mechanization retirement lump sum payment.
Workers walked off the job for 13 days earlier this month over disagreements about issues including wage increases and expanding the union’s jurisdiction to regular maintenance work on terminals.
The strike has upended operations at two of Canada’s three busiest ports, the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert, key gateways for exporting natural resources and commodities and bringing in raw materials.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News
