B.C. port workers strike affecting supply of goods on Vancouver Island

More than 7,000 striking port workers are off the job for a fifth day Wednesday, in a strike that’s already adding strain and uncertainty to supply chains.

A Hyundai car dealership in Victoria normally gets its cars delivered from South Korea, but already the strike is causing delays and rerouting.

"Some of those boats are getting redirected to Seattle," says dealership manager Brandon Kot. "And then Hyundai lets us know they’re going to then train them up to us. But you can imagine how much longer the time is."

Members of the International Longshore an Warehouse Union Canada have been on strike since Saturday morning, bringing a halt to cargo delivery at more than 30 ports across the province, including in Nanaimo, where cargo is loaded and offloaded by longshore workers.

It’s especially impactful in Vancouver, where nearly 30 per cent of all international goods delivered to Canada arrive.

“It’s going to add a cost to the consumer, but also it's going to slow things down,” said Mark Colgate, a marketing and business professor at the University of Victoria. “You might put your car in for repair and you may no longer be able to get the part that your car needs.”

The economic impact of the strike is less than a week old, yet it’s already being felt, says Greg Wilson with the Retail Council of Canada.

“Each day costs the Canadian economy a billion dollars, so it’s a very significant contribution,” said Wilson on Tuesday.

The union and its employer had been negotiating through the weekend, but talks broke off Monday. Wages are a major sticking point, along with concerns from the union about increasing automation at the ports.

Business leaders are calling for the federal government to legislate the workers back to the job.

"We are not looking past the bargaining table, because the best deals are made at the table," federal Minister of Labour Seamus O'Regan's office said in a statement Tuesday. "Federal mediators continue to support the parties in their negotiations."