Canadian Labor Minister Steve McKinnon has instructed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to immediately resume port operations, and to transfer negotiations between striking dockers and employers to mandatory arbitration. This is reported by foreign media.
Despite the fact that the government usually does not interfere in labor conflicts, the ongoing strikes of dockers in the Canadian ports of British Columbia and Montreal pose a real "threat to the national interests and economic well-being of Canadians", as they lead to disruptions in the supply of goods throughout Canada.
In addition, S. McKinnon ordered to extend the validity of the current collective agreements between the striking unions and employers until the final settlement of disputes.
The Canadian Union of Civil Servants (CUPE) announced strikes after the announcement of a lockout by the Maritime Employers Association against 1,200 port workers in Montreal and the dismissal of 700 foremen of longshoremen belonging to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship union & Dock Foreman Local 51, by the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).
On November 11, dockers at one of the largest ports in Montreal began a strike, and in early November, port workers in British Columbia began a strike amid threats from employers to cancel the terms of an expired contract.
