The following message was issued by the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) on Wednesday, June 26:
BCMEA and ILWU-Canada Ratify New Collective Agreement
The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and The International Longshore and Warehouse Union – Canada (ILWU-Canada) have formally ratified a new five-year collective agreement.
“Through a collaborative effort, and with both sides having worked hard to reach a tentative collective agreement on May 30, 2019, we have now ratified that agreement and are looking forward to next steps in our working relationship and to continue to bring stability to the West Coast of Canada for the next 5 years,” said Jeff Scott, Chair of the BCMEA Board.
The BCMEA said it is grateful to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) and, in particular, Peter Simpson and Kathy Peters, as well as the Minister of Labour, The Honourable Patty Hajdu, for their assistance in this process, and to ILWU-Canada for its commitment to work together.
The BCMEA said it is confident that this agreement, now ratified, “will secure a positive long-term outlook for trade and operations at local terminals, for the province and for the country.” With ratification of the ILWU-Canada agreement now formalized, the BCMEA will be reaching out to FMCS to arrange further meeting dates to resume bargaining with Local 514 Ship and Dock Foremen.
For more information, please call David Lychek, Manager – Ocean & Air Services at (905) 882-4880, ext. 207.
