After ILWU reissues 72 hour strike notice; BC Port Employers say move is holding Canadian economy hostage

Faced with a ruling from the Canada Industrial Relations Board, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union took down their picket lines today, a decision that was quickly followed by another 72 hour strike notice from the union.

The serving of the notice something which the employers through the BCMEA called a doubling down by the union.

A statement from the BCMEA noted of ongoing frustration with the impact of the labour dispute, the employers noting how the ILWU and its locals are holding the Canadian economy hostage.

ILWU officials responded with their own statement as they outlined their plans later in the afternoon, that correspondence observing of their regret on the impact of the dispute and criticizing government interference through the CIRB ruling.

With the 72 hour strike notice, the full on strike could be back in place by 9AM on Saturday morning.

The Federal response to the turn of events through Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan has so far been limited to a  joint statement with the Transport Minister on Tuesday night and a social media message highlighting the findings of the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.

While pressure from some opposition members and Provincial Premiers, as well as business and Industry officials increased through the day on the Federal government to take some form of action; Minister O'Regan has not spoken further to the labour situation towards what the Federal Government may have planned to address the ongoing turmoil.

Update: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has convened a meeting of the Incident Response Group that will discuss how to approach the situation related to the labour issues of the BC Ports.

The Incident Response Group is a collective of select cabinet minister who address situations that are considered to of a national crisis level.

The Chamber of Shipping also weighed in on the dispute, calling for Back to Work legislation

Update 2: Late Wednesday Afternoon, the ILWU rescinded their strike notice.

More notes on the latest themes from the dispute can be explored from our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.