A potential strike at ports in British Columbia has been halted, after Canada's Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ruled that a strike notice from the union representing the region's ship and dock foremen was illegal. 

Ship and dock foremen with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514 in British Columbia had issued a 72-hour strike notice against terminal operator DP World Canada on July 5. But before that strike could begin, the CIRB ordered the ILWU to rescind the notice, ruling that the union had not bargained in good faith with the B.C. Maritime Employer's Association (BCMEA) on a new collective bargaining deal.

The dispute between the ILWU and DP World Canada dates back to December, when the terminal operator revealed plans to unilaterally automate parts of its rail intermodal yard at Vancouver's Centerm Terminal. On June 17, the union rejected what it called the "final offer" from the BCMEA, eventually issuing its strike notice weeks later. A day later, the BCMEA threatened to "defensively" lockout ILWU Local 514 workers at all of its British Columbia ports. 

With the CIRB ruling against the ILWU, Canada's Federal Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan says the union and BCMEA have rescinded their strike and lockout notices, and are now working with federal mediators to come to an agreement.