Work was poised to resume Thursday after both sides in British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 port strike agreed to a tentative deal to end the stoppage that has halted cargo movements for 13 days.

The B.C. Maritime Employers Association said work would begin again with ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 4:30 p.m. Pacific-time shift, confirming an earlier Tweet from its dispatch centre.

The employers association said earlier it had reached a four-year agreement with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, which represents 7,400 workers in the job action that began July 1.

The union has not commented on the deal but federal Labour Minister Seamus OB次元官网网址橰egan and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a joint statement Thursday that both sides were finalizing details of the work resumption.

In a Tweet responding to the tentative deal, OB次元官网网址橰egan said B次元官网网址渢he strike is over.B次元官网网址�

The tentative deal comes after OB次元官网网址橰egan ordered a mediator to issue terms of possible settlement earlier this week, saying the gap in the deadlocked talks was B次元官网网址渘ot sufficient to justify a continued work stoppage.B次元官网网址�

The deal is subject to ratification by members of both the union and the employers, and no additional details have been released. The employers association said it B次元官网网址渞ecognizes the skills and efforts of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 waterfront workforce.B次元官网网址�

B.C. Premier David Eby applauded the tentative deal.

B次元官网网址淚 am optimistic that this deal will help bring long-term stability to our ports, solidify Vancouver as a world-class trade centre, strengthen our economy and provide fairness to workers,B次元官网网址� he said in a statement.

Both the union and the employers had 24 hours to respond to the mediatorB次元官网网址檚 recommended terms, which both sides received Wednesday morning.

OB次元官网网址橰egan and Alghabra thanked both sides, but noted the scale of the disruption has been significant.

B次元官网网址淭he extent of it has shown just how important the relationship between industry and labour is to our national interest. Our supply chains and our economy depend on it,B次元官网网址� their statement said.

B次元官网网址淒eals like this, made between parties at the collective bargaining table, are the best way to prevent that. They are the best way to preserve the long-term stability of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 economy. But we do not want to be back here again.B次元官网网址�

The strike had halted work at 33 port terminals and other sites in B.C. Among the ports shut down was CanadaB次元官网网址檚 largest, the Port of Vancouver.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade has said there were 63,000 shipping containers stuck on vessels waiting at B.C. ports to be unloaded as of Wednesday, and that number would have ballooned to 245,000 had the strike persisted to the end of July.

Bridgitte Anderson, CEO of the board, said it was pleased to hear of the tentative deal but it would take time for normal cargo operations to resume and for the economy to recover.

B次元官网网址淭he consequences of the strike have been felt across various industries nationwide and will continue for some time,B次元官网网址� she said.

The board estimated that the 13-day strike, which Anderson said was the longest stoppage in more than 40 years, disrupted $9.7 billion in trade as of Thursday morning.

Dennis Darby, CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, said in a statement that it is relieved the B次元官网网址渃risisB次元官网网址� seems to be over, but noted that manufacturers would be spending the B次元官网网址渘ext several months sorting through the damage and getting caught up.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he total cost to our industry is not just the days of the strike, but the days and months of work that precede and follow a disruption,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his is why we need reforms that will avoid a complete shutdown of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 transportation system and supply chains every six months.B次元官网网址�

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith criticized the federal government for its reaction to the strike, saying it needs to be more proactive in the future.

B次元官网网址淭hey need to get involved earlier, make sure that these disputes do not go on this long,B次元官网网址� she told reporters Thursday.

B次元官网网址淭his is essential infrastructure and they need to work with all of the premiers now in expanding the opportunity for us to have more ports of access so that there is that redundancy in the event that we do find ourselves in a labour dispute in future.B次元官网网址�

Speaking at an LNG industry conference in Vancouver, Smith also said the Port of Vancouver needed to operate more efficiently.

B次元官网网址淚t is the second lowest performing port in the world and I would hope that everybody, now that thereB次元官网网址檚 an agreement, will double down on ensuring that they improve that performance so that we can get more productivity,B次元官网网址� she said.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty said the Canadian economy B次元官网网址渨as seriously damagedB次元官网网址� by the labour action.

B次元官网网址淭his strike demonstrates that government must increase the tools available to ensure labour stability for our critical infrastructure and our supply chains,B次元官网网址� he said in a statement Thursday.

But UBC labour relations professor Mark Thompson praised OB次元官网网址橰egan for his B次元官网网址済ood sense of timingB次元官网网址� and for not B次元官网网址渘egotiating in the media.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淗e told the parties they had 24 hours. We donB次元官网网址檛 know what the alternative to that was and thatB次元官网网址檚 a very good idea that he didnB次元官网网址檛 make it public,B次元官网网址� he said.

Though the details of the agreement have not yet been released, Thompson said he expects operations will resume quickly.

B次元官网网址淭he port operates very efficiently and theyB次元官网网址檒l move and theyB次元官网网址檒l work extra time and I would say thatB次元官网网址檚 a backlog that will be eliminated in fairly short order B次元官网网址� certainly within a couple of weeks, I would say.B次元官网网址�

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