Canada Vote For Port Strike But US Reach Agreement

It seems like an agreement has finally been reached between port management and unions in the US West Coast labour dispute. However, the situation north of the border on the Canadian West Coast looks to be heading towards strike action.

A ballot of ILWU Canadian port workers resulted in a overwhelming 99% vote in favour of strike action on the West Coast. It has subsequently been suggested that industrial action could start as early as 24th June in the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

The news from Canada quickly followed last week’s surprise announcement that a tentative agreement has finally been reached between the ILWU and the collective US West Coast ports, which will hopefully bring an end to this bitter year long episode.

Operations along the US West Coast, especially in Los Angeles, have had a series of go slow periods, which has led to low market confidence and this month’s spike in Asia ocean rates.

The agreement, which still needs to be fully ratified by each party, covers 29 ports along the US West Coast.

Atlantic Pacific are monitoring the situation closely. Please do not hesitate to contact our team for more information.