Trudeau said it was “unacceptable” to reject the Ports Union deal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is “appalled” by the longshoremen’s union leadership’s rejection of an agreement to end a strike at British Columbia ports.

On Thursday, the prime minister also described as “unacceptable” the union’s decision to reject a federal mediator’s tentative deal agreed at the negotiating table, putting members back on strike.

He admitted that the situation had begun It is very painful for families, workers and companies across the country .

Uncertainty continues over operations at British Columbia ports, the West Coast’s main gateway for imports and exports, as the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union of Canada (ILWU) leadership conference rejected arbitrator terms on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Justin Trudeau spoke with his British Columbian counterpart David Eby about the labor dispute and they agree on the need to ensure the stability of national supply chains.

i amILWU said in a statement on Wednesday night took He had issued a strike notice earlier in the day, but did not give reasons or details for his decision.

Previously theILWU After rejecting a four-year interim agreement on Tuesday that temporarily halted the strike on July 13, member workers issued a 72-hour notice to resume the strike at British Columbia ports on Saturday morning.

i amILWU It initially resumed its strike on Tuesday, rejecting a tentative deal reached by negotiators last week as soon as it was announced it had convened.

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Workers were forced to picket lines and return to work Wednesday after the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled that the union must give 72 hours’ notice to make a strike legal.

The walkout began on July 1 and lasted 13 days, halting or severely disrupting operations at more than 30 port terminals and other sites.ILWUIncluding the Port of Vancouver, the largest in the country.