After more than a year of bargaining, longshoremen at B.C.’s Pacific Gateway ports have reached a tentative agreement with their employers.
“We are unanimously recommending the tentative agreement,” said Tom Dufresne, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada.
A tentative agreement covering coastal ports was reached late Sunday night, the union said, and will be voted on Thursday.
The proposed deal could put an end to protracted labour negotiations that began in December 2009.
In January, Business in Vancouver reported that container goods were being diverted to rival American ports amid fears the port could grind to a halt, were a strike to occur (see “Simmering port labour unrest sending goods shipments south” – issue 1109, January 25-31.)
The ILWU said details of the agreement would be released after the membership vote.
“We are content with the agreement,” Dufresne said. “It will restore stability to our workplaces and shows that free collective bargaining continues to be the most effective way to set our conditions of work.”