(Reuters) – Canadian Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan said on Saturday he could impose a new collective agreement or a final binding agreement on striking dock workers following their rejection of a proposed labor contract.
O’Regan said he had directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to determine whether the rejection of the tentative agreement by the dock workers in Western Canada has eliminated the possibility of a negotiated resolution.
“If the Board determines that to be the case, I have directed them to either impose a new collective agreement on the parties or impose final binding arbitration to resolve outstanding terms of the collective agreement,” O’Regan said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing about 7,500 dock workers, rejected a proposed labor contract on Saturday that would have ended a dispute that has already affected trade and could have more economic repercussions by disrupting operations at the country’s busiest ports.