Canada's Westshore Terminals Investment Corp. said export coking coal terminal operator Westshore Terminals received a 72-hour strike notice from Local 502 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union on Dec. 16, which could lead exports to stop on Dec. 19.
The facility, at Roberts Bank in British Columbia, is the largest coking coal export terminal in Canada, and is used by Teck Resources and other miners for shipping to global markets including Japan, China, India, Europe and South America.
Roberts Bank, along with the Neptune Terminal in Vancouver, and Ridley Terminals in Price Rupert, are used by Teck and other coking coal and PCI coal miners such as Conuma Coal Resources and CST Canada Coal Coal for exports. Neptune is currently undergoing upgrades to increase throughput capacity, with investments from Teck, the world's second-largest seaborne coking coal exporter.
Further talks are scheduled between Westshore and Local 502, while the strike notice states Local 502 members will stop work at the terminal site on Dec. 19, which would would result "in the complete suspension of operations at the terminal," Westshore Terminals Investment said. The company has not provided an update since the notification of the Dec. 16 strike notice.
Negotiations have involved conciliation under the Federal Labour Code since Sept. 16, 2020.
Westshore said it has been in negotiations for several months with Local 502 for a new collective agreement, and the previous collective agreement and those of the two other ILWU Locals at the terminal expired Jan. 31, 2020.
Negotiations with Local 502 are the first of such talks with the three union groups, the terminal added.
