The union representing longshoremen and the company that provides ship docking services at BC ports has agreed to binding arbitration — averting a potentially crippling strike at Port Metro Vancouver and other BC ports.
Mark Gordienko is the President of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada.
“It’s a mediated process, and in the end if it can’t get resolved we go to binding arbitration. The reason the union has agreed to it, is because of some pretty extreme pressure, because no one wants a strike in the industry. And that pressure is coming from Ottawa, with what’s already happened in the industry with the truckers, so there was extreme pressure put on.”
Seaspan and the union representing tugboat captains and engineers reached a similar agreement earlier this month.
The progress comes after Federal Labour Minister Kellie Leitch flew into Vancouver, to help broker a deal with Seaspan and the two unions.
