A source close to negotiations over the British Columbia port strike said both sides on Wednesday received the terms of a settlement recommended by a federal mediator that could end the 12-day-old industrial action.
The delivery of the terms came after federal Labour Minister Seamus O91裸聊视频橰egan late Tuesday instructed the mediator to send him the terms within 24 hours so he could forward them to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association.
The two sides have 24 hours upon receiving the recommendations to decide whether or not to ratify the agreement.
Neither side confirmed they have received the terms.
British Columbia business groups said there91裸聊视频檚 no guarantee the strike will end quickly despite O91裸聊视频橰egan91裸聊视频檚 move.
The groups, including the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, the B.C. Council of Forest Industries, the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Mining Association of B.C., said at an event in Vancouver on Wednesday that they are continuing to call for federal back-to-work legislation to end the strike involving 7,400 dock workers at more than 30 ports, including Canada91裸聊视频檚 busiest, the Port of Vancouver.
91裸聊视频淲hile we hold some hope that a deal can be reached, the reality is that if either party opts out, we will have added $1.6 billion to the trade disrupted and be back in the exact same place,91裸聊视频� said Board of Trade president and CEO Bridgitte Anderson.
91裸聊视频淓very single hour and every single day that this labour dispute goes on, we are putting our international reputation at risk, we are putting jobs at risk, and it91裸聊视频檚 also hurting our economy.91裸聊视频�
Anderson said an estimated $8.9 billion in trade has been disrupted since the strike began, and 63,000 shipping containers are 91裸聊视频渨aiting on the water to be unloaded91裸聊视频� at B.C. ports.
That number could balloon to 245,000 by the end of July if the strike isn91裸聊视频檛 resolved by then, she said.
O91裸聊视频橰egan said Tuesday the gap between the workers91裸聊视频� and employers91裸聊视频� positions was 91裸聊视频渘ot sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.91裸聊视频�
The mediator91裸聊视频檚 recommended terms are non-binding, and either side can vote to reject them.
B.C. Premier David Eby said at the close of a premiers91裸聊视频� meeting in Winnipeg on Wednesday that the strike cannot drag on.
91裸聊视频淭his isn91裸聊视频檛 just the Port of Vancouver, it91裸聊视频檚 the port of Saskatchewan, it91裸聊视频檚 the port of Alberta and it91裸聊视频檚 the port of Manitoba,91裸聊视频� Eby said. 91裸聊视频淪o it91裸聊视频檚 critically important infrastructure for Canadians, for people who go to work in industries where those goods are exported globally.
91裸聊视频淚t has a profoundly damaging impact across the country on workers who are also trying to feed their families right now.91裸聊视频�
But Eby also said the union91裸聊视频檚 concerns about inflation and rising costs of living are real, and there was a need for striking port workers to 91裸聊视频渂e treated fairly.91裸聊视频�
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his province91裸聊视频檚 potash customers could soon take their business to Russia and Belarus if the dispute continues.
91裸聊视频淭oday, it might be easier for you to get a ton of Russian potash fertilizer than it is to get a ton of Saskatchewan potash fertilizer,91裸聊视频� Moe said. 91裸聊视频淪o the impacts are much broader than what91裸聊视频檚 happening just at the port there.91裸聊视频�
On Tuesday, Nutrien Ltd. said it had curtailed production at its Cory potash mine in Saskatchewan due to the strike.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said if businesses can91裸聊视频檛 get their goods to markets because of the strike, Canada could start to lose international customers.
Michael Goehring, president and CEO of the Mining Association of B.C., said some customers from foreign markets have been asking about the port strike and when it will end.
Goehring said some member mines have diverted shipments to other ports, while others resort to stockpiling products on-site or in railcars.
91裸聊视频淭here are physical and financial limits to how long mines can continue to do this,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� If the strike continues for much longer, some of our members will have to start planning for shutdowns and temporary layoffs.91裸聊视频�
The B.C. business groups on Wednesday launched a real-time 91裸聊视频淧ort Shutdown Calculator91裸聊视频� to show what they say is the cumulative cost of the strike.
Fiona Famulak, president and CEO of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, said Canadian consumers would begin feeling the wider impact of the shutdown 91裸聊视频渋n a matter of days91裸聊视频� if they did not already.
91裸聊视频淲e have an affordability issue here in British Columbia,91裸聊视频� Famulak said. 91裸聊视频淭he strike is going to make that worse. We have a housing issue here in British Columbia, and the delay on raw materials whether it91裸聊视频檚 steel for rebar, whether it91裸聊视频檚 component parts, whether it91裸聊视频檚 hard goods, will delay construction schedules.
91裸聊视频淚t will delay delivery of industrial, commercial and residential residences. It will result probably in higher cost to renters and higher cost to those looking to purchase.91裸聊视频�
READ ALSO:
