Employee Relations Specialist

This is a great opportunity to exercise your Labour and Employee Relations experience— to hit the ground running with a voice in negotiations in collective agreements within the Marine Industry in BC.

British Columbia has one of the most active unionized labour environments in Canada, with a long history of collective bargaining and high grievance activity. Our client has benefited from over a decade of labour peace with their unionized workforce. We are seeking a new Employee Relations (ER) Specialist to support ongoing and upcoming collective negotiations.

Urgency to Hire : Currently, HR and Operations support these functions, but their resources are stretched thin. Managing Employee Relations, especially with negotiations starting in September (two agreements), necessitates a dedicated specialist. Responsibilities include grievance management, arbitration preparation, and collective agreement interpretation—tasks previously handled by the Director of Operations.

Must Haves :

• 2 to 4 years of experience in labour and employee relations within a unionized environment . Total work experience should be 5+ years.
• Knowledge of the Canada Shipping Act and associated regulations is preferred, especially norms related to maritime employment contracts, medical requirements, and transport vetting.
• Experience with Maritime Industry Standards and regulatory compliance in federally regulated Canadian companies, including familiarity with the Canada Labour Code.
• Degree in Business, HR, Labour Relations, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong presentation skills, confidence, articulate communication, and a captivating personality capable of engaging with diverse stakeholders and union members.
• Previous experience with Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA).
• Ability to Travel : The initial agreements are related to Prince Rupert, with expected travel 4-6 times per year. Travel details are to be confirmed.

Union Details : Approximately 150 union members in BC—78 in Vancouver, 4 in Port McNeil, 38 in Prince Rupert—mainly crew members operating tugboats.

Non-Union : Technical team members (15-20), with other agreements; about 40 employees are salaried and non-union.

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