The announcement ends a strike lasting about three weeks, which shut down operations at Roberts Bank’s chief coal terminal. The strike, along with below-expectations second-half performance of rail carrier BNSF – which carries coal from the United States to the Port of Vancouver – dropped Westshore’s estimated throughput volume this year from 27.5 million tonnes to about 25 million tonnes, the company said.
There remains the potential of further labour unrest. The negotiation with ILWU Local 502 was the first of three to be completed by Westshore this year. Currently, ILWU 514 and 517 are still awaiting scheduling for their negotiations with the company.
Roughly 200 people took part in ILWU 502’s strike. The talks had been ongoing since October 2021, although the last deal expired on Jan. 31 of this year.
The Westshore coal terminal at Roberts Bank – which typically processes about 33 million tonnes of coal a year –…
