Lockout at British Columbia port: talks negotiated by union and employer
Employers and union representing supervisors embroiled in dispute work The dispute that sparked a lockout at British Columbia ports will attempt to reach an agreement when talks resume this weekend.
A spokesperson for federal Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon’s office confirmed Friday that the minister had spoken with leaders of the BC Maritime Employers Association and Local 514 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, but did not had invoked any article of the Canada Labor Code which would force them to return to discussions.
“Parties involved in BC ports negotiations will meet with federal mediators on Saturday after Minister MacKinnon asked them to return to the negotiating table,” the statement from MacKinnon’s office said.
A meeting notice obtained by The Canadian Press said talks would begin in Vancouver at 5 p.m. and continue Sunday and Monday, if necessary.
The lockout at British Columbia ports by employers began Monday after what their association describes as “strike activity” by the union. The result was a paralysis of container traffic at terminals on Canada’s west coast.
The dispute has drawn the attention of federal leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, both of whom were in Vancouver on Friday.
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Trudeau, when asked by a reporter if his government would consider back-to-work legislation if the conflict drags on, said he had always emphasized that “the best agreements end up at the negotiating table.”
“We expect and encourage the parties to work together at the bargaining table – and to remember that in their disagreements, they are harming Canadians, workers, farmers and union members across the country every minute they fail to find of solution. » Trudeau said.
Singh, meanwhile, attended a rally Friday in Vancouver, near the picket line of locked-out port workers.
On Thursday, the union said it filed a lawsuit against the employers for allegedly negotiating in bad faith, an accusation the employers call an “unfounded claim.”
The two sides have been without a deal since March 2023 and employers say the final offer presented last week during the latest round of negotiations remains on the table.
The proposed agreement includes a 19.2 percent wage increase over a four-year period as well as an average lump sum payment of $21,000 per qualified worker.
The union said one of its main concerns is the advent of port automation in cargo operations, and workers want guarantees on staffing levels, regardless of the technology used at the port.
The disruptions come as two container terminals are closed in Montreal amid another labor dispute.
This is disrupting container traffic at Canada’s two largest ports, Vancouver and Montreal, both of which are important Canadian trade gateways on the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
It’s one of several work stoppages at the Port of Vancouver, where a 13-day strike halted goods last year, while labor unrest in the rail and grain-handling sectors led to further disruptions earlier this year.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
