A strike by tugboat operators has been averted, with two unions agreeing June 14 to enter binding arbitration/mediation with their employer, Seaspan.
The Canadian Merchant Service Guild and International Longshore Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 400 agreed to have the federal government appoint an arbitrator who will create a deal that cannot be changed by either side.
Both unions have agreed not to strike.
Seaspan is the biggest tugboat business on the West Coast, accounting for 70-per-cent of tug activity at the Port of Vancouver. It’s been seeking contract concessions it says are needed to remain competitive.
The union had voted 100% in favour of taking job action June 3 but decided not to serve strike notice.
The ILWU said Seaspan had been trying to “unilaterally impose” changes to the 40-year-old collective bargaining agreement that expired last year.
With files from Business In Vancouver
