BCMEA

The provincewide lockout against a union of more than 700 foremen at all British Columbia ports is expected to begin at 8 a.m.

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan is launching an examination of the recently resolved British Columbia port dispute to see if "structural issues" in negotiations led to a 13-day work stoppage last month.

The union representing about 7,400 workers in the British Columbia port dispute has been warned by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that changing its mind about a new deal during ratification would be an "unfair labour practice."

The uncertainty at British Columbia ports persists as a union local for workers says that a tentative agreement has been reached between a union bargaining committee and employers, the latest development in a tumultuous week in the high-stakes labour dispute.

The fallout from the labour dispute at British Columbia ports continues to unfold, as the union representing about 7,400 workers abruptly rescinded a strike notice hours after issuing it.

British Columbia port workers are back on the job after a tentative agreement was reached between the employers association and the workers union, ending a 13-day-old strike.

Both sides in the ongoing British Columbia port strike will have to decide today whether to accept terms of a settlement recommended by a federal mediator that would end the 13-day-old industrial action.

Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said in a statement issued late Tuesday that the gap between the positions of employers and the port workers union in the 11-day-old strike is "not sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage."