Another strike in Canada?

In Hollywood movies we often see large ships full of iron containers of various colors. They travel from port to port, from continent to continent, where they are unloaded by the sea workers.

But what is the risk of at least one day of downtime? What about two days or even three? That's exactly the kind of prediction experts in the trucking industry are making now, because new protests are probably just around the corner.

International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, which represents workers who load and unload cargo at port terminals in cities such as Vancouver and Prince Rupert, said its committee has authorized a vote on the strike. Its president, Rob Ashton, said the vote would take place June 9 and 10.

There are about 7,000 people working at B.C. ports. If you imagine that one day even half of them would not go to work, it would be a serious blow to logistics and the entire trade and transport policy of the region.

Actually Canada remembers very well what happened in April: at the time, tens of thousands of civil servants protested, demanding better working conditions and higher wages. A few days after, there were 120,000 protesters, and then even 155,000.

Although the clash has ended and all parties of the conflict were satisfied. Managers hold no interest in their employees' protests. Nevertheless, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association did not respond to a request from media about commenting on possible strike.

Also, by the end of May the WestJet pilots were preparing to sabotage the work. Then their bosses managed to solve all the demands before the possible protests began and flight disruption did not occur.

Negotiations are already underway, the workers and the union are just discussing the possibility of a strike. Still, anything is to be expected. According to the experience of past demonstrations, the governing organizations should not delay and should listen to the workers as soon as possible, if their demands are reasonable and justified.

The Employers Association, which represents 49 private-sector employers in more than 30 British Columbia ports, said in a statement on its website that it will continue negotiations to reach a "fair and balanced deal" that provides adequate compensation.

Especially since the West Coast of the United States is also in turmoil right now: disputes between port officials and a U.S. labor union have disrupted terminal operations in places like Oakland and Long Beach, California.

We'll see how it ends.