The pressure on the federal government to intervene to resolve a contract dispute between employers and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada is growing on day six of the west coast Canadian port strikes.
As a result of negotiations between the ILWU and the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) regarding a contract that came to an end at the end of March, the enormous railway company Canadian Pacific Kansas City has temporarily suspended export traffic heading to the port of Vancouver. Contract negotiations for maintenance work between the two sides remain deadlocked.
Yesterday, the BCMEA said that binding arbitration would be the best way to end the strike. According to the employers, "port operations could resume quickly, critical goods could begin to flow again, and there would be immediate stability and restoration to Canada's supply chain operations" if the union agreed to binding arbitration.
Danish eeSea analysts have begun to observe vessel bunching off the west coast, with additional boxships awaiting outside of Prince Rupert and Vancouver.
