The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that the strike by B.C. port workers is sending ripples across the Canadian economy as everyone from Saskatchewan potash exporters to Ontario importers of industrial parts feels the impact of the walkout that enters its 10th day on Monday.
The Globe's Brent Jang writes that employers estimate that up to $775-million a day in trade has been disrupted during the strike by 7,400 dock and warehouse workers across British Columbia, totalling $7-billion in cargo affected as of Sunday night.
The disruption to the supply chain, including trains and trucks, has halted the flow of a wide range of products such as imports of consumer goods and exports of raw materials. Potash and sulphur are among the commodities suspended from being loaded into the cargo holds of ships that would be destined for markets overseas. The International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada has listed contracting out as one of its three key issues. The other two main concerns are cost-of-living wage increases and the impact of automation on job security.
The two sides returned to the bargaining table on Saturday, backed by federal mediators, after negotiations stalled early last week.
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