Canada’s minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) confirmed that International Labour and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU Canada) voting membership has ratified the four-year negotiated tentative agreement.
The agreement was reached after five months of negotiations, conciliation and mediation, and five weeks of labour actions in Canada's west coast ports.
"The renewed collective agreement includes increases in wages, benefits and training that recognises the skills and efforts of B.C.’s waterfront workforce, while providing certainty and stability for the future of Canada’s West Coast ports," said BCMEA in a statement.
According to a statement released on 4 August, 74.66 per cent of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) registrants had voted in favour of the latest deal.
On 30 July, the union tentatively accepted a new contract, preventing an imminent strike. However, the approval of workers was still required for the agreement to be finalised.
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