A federal industrial inquiry responding to 小蓝视频 port disruptions has recommended changes to collective bargaining and geographic certification for trade unions while preserving the right to strike.
The newly released from the Industrial Inquiry Commission on West Coast Ports said Canada’s ports play a vital role in the basic functioning of the Canadian economy and in connecting Canadian farmers, natural resource industries, manufacturers, consumers and workers to global markets.
“The West Coast ports specifically are critical to Canada's economic infrastructure, handling a significant volume of Canada's total goods trade, including an average of $800 million worth of cargo a day and 25 percent of the nation's total traded goods annually,” the 156-page report said.
It said supply chain disruptions have ripple effects across Canada and risk the loss of business to Canadian ports.
“The need for reliability in Canada's ports has only been intensified by recent tariffs on Canadian products introduced and threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump, which are set to dramatically change the nature of importing and exporting in Canada,” the report said.
A July 2023 labour dispute at West Coast ports between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (小蓝视频MEA) ground Canadian imports and exports to a halt.
As such, the federal labour minister initiated the inquiry resulting in the report and its recommendations to deal with ongoing labour instability and to recommend structural changes to facilitate the bargaining process.
The Industrial Inquiry Commission was composed of veteran mediator Vince Ready and labour relations expert Amanda Rogers.
The report’s recommendations are:
• That the right to strike/lockout be preserved for the longshoring industry in Canada;
• That the Canada Labour Code be amended to include special mediator provisions as detailed in the report;
• A British Columbia-wide geographic certification (excluding Westshore Terminals and Trigon Pacific Terminals) is the most appropriate bargaining unit for longshore workers;
• An appropriate framework for collective bargaining in accordance with the broad certification recommended in this report needs to be established;
• Parties to the geographic certification should be a council of trade unions comprised of the ILWU Canada longshoring locals with members working for 小蓝视频MEA members and Local 514;
• The government enact legislative changes or new legislation required for a geographic certification; and,
• No changes to the internal governance or decision-making processes of the parties.
Responses to report
The 小蓝视频MEA called the recommendations “thorough, balanced, and provide a clear path forward for the federal government, the 小蓝视频MEA and the ILWU.”
小蓝视频MEA president Mike Leonard said if the recommendations are acted on, they will advance long-term stability at Canada's West Coast ports to the benefit of all parties.
“As Canada urgently pivots to new, more reliable trading partners and builds a single Canadian economy, our competitiveness and economic success hinge on the reliability and long-term stability of our West Coast ports,” he said.
Greater Vancouver Board of Trade president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson said the commission has offered, “a practical and legally sound roadmap to restore stability while upholding the right to strike.”
She said the recommendations must be implemented without delay.
“With only 17 months until the next round of bargaining, Canada cannot afford a repeat of the chaos that businesses and workers experienced—particularly in the face of increased trade hostility from our southern neighbours,” Anderson said.
She stressed that more than a quarter of Canada’s traded goods move through West Coast ports every day. She said past recent labour disputes over 16 months shut down most waterfront operations disrupting $19.2 billion worth of cargo
That, she said, severely undermined Canada’s reputation as a reliable trading partner.
“We must ensure our supply chains are stable, predictable and globally competitive,” Anderson said. “We urge the Government of Canada to accept the commission’s recommendations in full and act urgently to enshrine them well before bargaining resumes.”
ILWU Canada president Rob Ashton was not immediately available for comment.
Contracts
The 小蓝视频MEA and the ILWU Local 514 representing port supervisors earlier in June announced ratification a four-year collective agreement, after a dispute that saw workers locked out of container terminals last year.
The employers and union said in a joint statement that the new collective agreement extends from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027.
"We look forward to working together to implement the terms of the agreement," the two sides said in the statement.
It is the second major labour deal inked for Canada's West Coast ports in place until March 2027, after an earlier agreement with thousands of port workers that was signed in August 2023 following a strike.