According to news media “Global News” posted on July 31, 2023,
A tentative deal has been reached between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) to resolve a labour dispute affecting around 7,400 British Columbia port workers. The deal was reached with the assistance of the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). Both parties are recommending their members ratify the agreement. The previous deal was rejected by union leaders. The new deal's details have not been disclosed yet. The strike, lasting for 13 days in July, caused significant disruption to port operations and resulted in an estimated $10 billion in lost trade. The government was under pressure to intervene if the dispute persisted, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized the importance of continuing negotiations at the bargaining table. The union expressed concerns about contracting out maintenance work, fearing it might undermine the workforce and industry efficiency. The union members have until Friday to vote on the new offer, and if ratified, the deal is expected to bring long-term stability to the ports.
You can jump into the article in the description.
https://globalnews.ca/news/9866982/bc-port-strike-tentative-deal-oregan/
One of the most surprising cultures that most Japanese people living abroad should be surprised by is “Strike”. We all know the words but have never seen them in real.
First of all, a strike is the withholding of labour by workers in order to obtain better wages or working conditions. Usually, they sit outside the company with signs like “We are on strike” or something and keep this activity until the negotiation reached their goal.
By the way, surprisingly, it appears there is the opposite word “a lockout”, which means the temporary shutdown of a business by an employer to compel employees to accept certain conditions.
Since I never saw a strike in Japan at least which affected our lives directly, I was shocked that there were so many strikes that happened back and force in Canada.
Recently, we just witnessed the 2023 Canadian federal worker strike, which was a strike by Canadian federal workers who are members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). The strike took place between April 19 and May 3, 2023, although the Treasury Board bargaining units ended their strike on May 1.
In my opinion, there are several reasons we can see more Strikes in Canada than in Japan.
One of the biggest reasons is that wages are, generally speaking, totally negotiable in Canada. Before joining the company, most candidates are asked about the salary expectation by the interviewer. Therefore, candidates should state their expected salary with a reason. Likewise, the same thing goes forward after joining the company. As that is not common in Japanese society, we basically need to wait until our boss would suggest our promotion and wage increase. Otherwise, you should change your job, if you are not satisfied with the wage.
Overall, no matter when I see people on strike in front of the company, I always feel like such patient people! Moreover, It is impressive because this is a kind of affirmation to the company! They don’t want to give up working there! For me, as I don’t have the time and savings to wait for the company to increase wages, I will just change the job.
How do you see the strikes overseas?
