ILWU workers on Canada’s West Coast said they have revoked a strike notice issued for Saturday, July 22nd, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed a crisis meeting to pursue options to ensure the stability of supply chains as he stressed the critical role of port operations at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert. The revoked strike notice had been issued earlier Wednesday, just hours after a federal watchdog ruled the workers’ current stoppage illegal.

The strike notice, scheduled for July 22nd at 9:00AM, was removed by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada and posted on its website late on July 19th while the shipping community called for resolution of the strike with government intervention. 

After a tentative agreement had been announced between the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada on June 13th, the ILWU voted down the mediators recommended terms of settlement of the aforementioned tentative 4-year agreement. As a result, workers of the ILWU went on strike late on July 18th again, effectively shutting down operations at the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert until further notice. That strike was ruled illegal as the ILWU did not provide a mandatory 72-hour strike notice and workers returned to work before sending another strike notice for July 22nd.

Up until July 1st, the ILWU in Canada had been working without a contract since the expiration of the previous agreement on March 31st, 2023.

Until a resolution is met and ratified by the ILWU Canada, intermittent disruption on terminals and delays are expected for cargo moving via Vancouver and Prince Rupert. RIM representatives are currently working with our carriers to assess near-term routing options.  

RIM logistics, ltd. will continue to closely monitor the situation and keep you advised of any updates as they become known. Please contact your RIM representative should you have any questions or need additional information.