The Canadian Press
The group representing striking tugboat and barge operators accepted a proposal by a federal mediator late last week to end a strike that has crippled B.C. ports.
The Council of Marine Carriers also accepted the proposal but said the union involved, the Canadian Merchant Service Guild, was engaging in delaying tactics to prevent an immediate return to work.
Philip Nelson, president of the marine carriers’ council, said the terms of settlement were excessive and costly to the industry.
But he added: “We had to accept this deal to stop the severe economic damage that would result from any continuation of this strike.’’ Federal Labour Minister Claudette Bradshaw had given both sides until late Friday afternoon to respond.
“I’m very pleased that both parties agreed on the written recommendations, a deal that brings to an end a dispute that had considerable impact on the economy of the Greater Vancouver area,’’ Bradshaw said in a prepared statement.
The walkout was costing the B.C. economy an estimated $85 million a day.
Earlier Friday, Premier Gordon Campbell called on the federal government to act quickly.
“For 800 people to hold up the entire coastal economy both in terms of the social infrastructure as well as the economic infrastructure is simply not acceptable,’’ said Campbell.
Had the tug and barge operators not returned to work, it could have meant as many as 25,000 coastal forestry workers out of a total of 34,000 could have been out of work.
“We’ll be happy when we see them back at work,’’ said Ian May of the Western Canadian Shippers’ Coalition after hearing the news.
He said he would have preferred the operators go back immediately, but said protocols for getting back to work were being discussed Saturday morning.
“There’s people hurting and there are pulp mills on greatly reduced production just so they can keep going on hope this is settled,’’ he said.
May said some people think it might take the rest of the year to return to normal.
“That’s because of the backlog that already existed in the containers.’’ The union, the Canadian Merchant Service Guild, was seeking a package of wage increases and health benefits totalling about 16 per cent over three years, while the employer, the Council of Marine Carriers, was offering about 13.75 per cent.
