The right of workers to strike and employers to lock them out should be preserved for the longshore industry in Canada, say labour experts tasked with studying the 2023 British Columbia port strike that froze trade worth billions for almost two weeks.
Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers say laws should be changed to allow a special mediator to be brought in during disputes, and workers should formalize negotiating collectively rather than allowing a union to have separate conversations with each operator.
Those are among seven recommendations made to the labour minister in a report released publicly this week.
Thousands of workers went on a 13-day strike in July, 2023, freezing cargo movement at some of the country’s busiest ports….