VANCOUVER and Prince Rupert dockers have rejected their union leadership's contract deal with employers and have renewed their threat to strike, reports Bloomberg.

After voting against the contract proposal, members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union turned down a deal that would have raised wages by 19.2 per cent over four years.

More than 7,000 dockers were on strike for 13 days earlier in July, crippling the flow of trade through the port of Vancouver - Canada's busiest maritime hub - and Prince Rupert, 500 miles to the north.

The federal government sent in a mediator to get a deal. Dockers can now go on strike again with 72 hours of notice.

"Regrettably, ILWU's rejection once again leaves businesses, Canadians and all those who depend on a stable, well-functioning supply chain hanging in the balance," the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) said.

The Canadian National Railway (CN) said it would take up to eight weeks to clear cargo after a 14-day strike action at Vancouver and Prince Rupert, reports New York's Journal of Commerce.

"We expect to move most of the volumes that didn't move during the first two weeks of July over the coming weeks," said a CN spokeswoman.

Marketing chief Doug MacDonald said CN shipments via international containers and 53-footers fell 11 per cent year on year in the three months ended June 30, pulling down intermodal revenue 26 per cent to C$983 million (US$743,600).