Union announces strike in the Canadian province of British Columbia

A dockworker representing a union in British Columbia, Canada, has submitted a 72-hour strike notice to his employer, DP World.

The strike announced by the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) is scheduled to begin on July 8.

The BCMEA reported that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship and Dock Foremen Local 514 (ILWU Local 1514) issued the notice while the Canada Industrial Relations Board opened a hearing on the complaints raised between the BCMEA and ILWU Local 514. According to Reuters, the hearing was scheduled to resume on August 6.

According to Reuters, the Labor Secretary’s office said it was monitoring the situation. ILWU Local 514 was not immediately available for comment.

READ: US port union suspends collective bargaining due to threat of strike

Industry-wide negotiations between the BCMEA and ILWU Local 514 began in November 2022. Ninety-nine percent of the nearly 600 longshoremen voted against a final offer from the employers’ association, the ILWU reported last month.

Last month, the United Services Union (ver.di) called on seaport workers to take part in a central strike day of around 24 to 48 hours in Hamburg, which would take place in the ports of Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brake and Emden, among others.