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Supervisor headcount at Vancouver’ s Centerm( pictured) has increased 75 % since a 2023 modernization. Mr. Nikon / Shutterstock. com
While there was no strike or work slowdown against its facilities, DP World became a target for the longshore unions at the event because of ongoing disputes they are having with the terminal operator across the globe.
The US arm of the ILWU said it’ s been told by other longshore unions that DP World plans to deploy driverless vehicles, also known as automated guided vehicles, and remotely operated cranes at its four terminals in Australia. Those equipment deployments put jobs for 1,000 Australian longshore workers at risk, the ILWU claimed.
In Canada, the ILWU said DP World, which plans to develop Montreal’ s Contrecoeur terminal, has not“ committed to protect longshore work” at the facility. The union also claimed DP World unfairly dismissed 21 longshore workers at its San Antonio terminal in Chile.
“ DP World’ s business model treats dockworkers as a cost to be eliminated.”
In a separate statement to Journal of Commerce, the ILWU said the Vancouver summit aimed for“ DP World to negotiate in good faith with every union representing its workforce and to introduce new technology only by agreement.”
“ DP World’ s business model treats dockworkers as a cost to be eliminated, not as the people who built this industry,” ILWU International President Bobby Olvera Jr. said in the second statement.“ The ILWU stands with our brothers and sisters in every port where DP World is attempting to replace workers with machines.”
‘ Hand in hand’
In 2024, DP World’ s Centerm terminal in Vancouver was the target of longshore foremen when the two sides could not reach an agreement about staffing after DP World installed semi-automated, rail-mounted gantry( RMG) cranes at its intermodal yard a year earlier. ILWU Canada Local 514, which represents the foremen, held a strike vote targeting the terminal, but Canada’ s labor board deemed it illegal.
With the current British Columbia longshore contract expiring in March 2027, it’ s not clear if the union statement is aimed at a new technology project planned for Centerm or a bargaining chip for those negotiations. According to a person familiar with the matter, DP World has been negotiating with Australian and New Zealand unions about implementing automated lift technology at terminals in those countries, which may also be rolled out in Canada at some point.
DP World said the modernization of the Centerm facility, which also included a berth expansion and automated truck gates, has brought more cargo to the terminal and increased work hours for labor.
“ We’ re investing in automation that is standard across much of the North American industry landscape to grow jobs and boost the competitiveness of Canada’ s ports,” DP World Canada CEO Doug Smith said in a statement to Journal of Commerce.“ Technology allows us to handle cargo more safely and efficiently, while investing in the skills people need as port work evolves.”
Smith cited a KPMG report sponsored by the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association( BCMEA) that while Centerm’ s throughput increased 65 % to 1.5 million TEUs following the modernization work, the terminal’ s supervisory headcount increased 75 % since the expansion. The report credited higher throughput and the creation of new jobs through technology.
“ Since the expansion, terminal foreperson headcount has increased by approximately 75 %,” the report said.“ Workforce growth was driven primarily through upskilling and the evolution of existing roles, rather than displacement.”
Higher rail-handling capacity thanks to partial automation of the RMGs was a“ primary contributor” to the increased throughput, allowing the terminal to support much longer train lengths, according to the KPMG report. That, in turn,“ expanded rail operating crews, supervision and maintenance support” for the longer trains and new equipment, it said.
Centerm“ shows that modernization and job growth can go hand in hand when greater capacity brings more cargo and more work,” Smith said.
email: michael. angell @ spglobal. com
20 Journal of Commerce | November 2, 2026 www. joc. com