British Columbia Ports Update – CIRB Instructs ILWU Local 514 to Rescind Strike Notice

On Saturday, July 6, 2024, the ILWU Ship & Dock Foremen Local 514 (ILWU Local 514) provided formal 72-hour notice of intended strike action against DP World (Canada) Inc. to commence on July 8, 2024. 

The BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) then requested urgent interim intervention by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). Specifically, it asked the Board to declare ILWU Local 514’s proposals and strike action contrary to the Canada Labour Code.  

The CIRB met on Sunday, July 7, 2024, to address this request. It determined that the ILWU Local 514’s declaration of strike action against DP World (Canada) Inc. is in contravention of the Code. The CIRB found that the union failed to bargain in good faith when it conducted a strike vote among the employees of only one member of the BCMEA and issued a strike notice based on that strike vote. Accordingly, CIRB directed the union to rescind the strike notice. 

Furthermore, the CIRB found that the union’s Nanaimo dispatch proposal was illegal because it consists of a receding horizon in bargaining and amounts to a failure to bargain in good faith. Therefore, the Board directed the union to withdraw its proposal. 

Read more in BCMEA's bargaining updates.   

Source: CIFFA 

 

The CIRB ruling removes the threat of immediate industrial action. Both the strike and the lockout notices have now been withdrawn. 

 

Delmar will continue to monitor these events and provide pertinent updates as they unfold. 

For additional information and assistance, please contact your local Delmar Representative.