Canada dock workers to vote on latest offer on Thursday, Friday

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Dock workers on Canada's West Coast will vote on Thursday and Friday to ratify the latest offer from employers, the workers' union said in a statement on Tuesday.

The union provisionally agreed to a new labor contract late on Sunday, averting an immediate strike, but the agreement needs to be approved by workers, who rejected a previous deal.

Disagreements in contract negotiations have disrupted billions of dollars in trade, raised concerns about fueling inflation, and forced the federal government to intervene in an effort to keep two of Canada's three busiest ports, the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, open.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Canada Union (ILWU), which represents about 7,500 dock workers, said in a statement that it will convene a special meeting with members on Wednesday to recommend they accept the latest offer from employers, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

The parties have been negotiating a new contract for months, and disagreements over pay and a proposal to expand the union's jurisdiction to regular maintenance work on terminals led to a 13-day strike in July.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) met with the two parties on Sunday and helped them reach an agreement.

That was two days after workers voted to reject an earlier tentative deal, leading Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan to direct the CIRB to resolve the dispute.

While the terms of Sunday's agreement are not expected be made public until after the ratification vote, the rejected deal had provided a compounded wage increase of 19.2% and increased retirement payouts in 2026 to C$96,250 ($72,625) for eligible retiring employees, over and above employees' pension entitlements, according to the employers' association.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and David Ljunggren; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)