Port workers’ union accuses BC Maritime Employers Association of ending talks early
Posted November 10, 2024 12:19 am.
Last Updated November 10, 2024 4:37 pm.
A labour dispute continues to paralyze cargo shipping at British Columbia ports, and the union for locked-out workers is accusing employers of abruptly ending contract talks early.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship & Dock Foremen Local 514 says the BC Maritime Employers Association ended federally mandated talks with a mediator less than an hour after they began late Saturday afternoon.
A statement from the union says a meeting with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service ended with the employers “refusing to bargain” and trying to “impose significant concessions” on the union.
Union president Frank Morena says the employers are using “confrontational tactics” to avoid negotiating a new collective agreement, in order to force the federal government to intervene.
Morena says union negotiators were planning to bargain late into Saturday evening and through the weekend with the help of a federal mediator, but he says the employers association ended the talks after meeting with the mediator for just 12 minutes.
He says the concessions sought by port employers are “inflammatory and unacceptable,” and says shipping firms and retailers are all waiting for the lockout to end.
A statement from the employers association issued Saturday after talks broke down says there was “no progress made … and no further meetings are scheduled.”
The workers have been without a contract since March 2023.
Update:
The BCMEA said in a statement that the union’s claims that it had cut off talks are false.
“On Nov. 9, 2024, the BCMEA and ILWU Local 514 met with the assistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in Vancouver. The BCMEA went into the meeting with open minds and seeking to achieve a negotiated settlement at the bargaining table,” BCMEA communications manager Lisa Clement said in the statement.
“The Parties met separately with the FMCS and, based on the discussions that transpired, there was no progress made. On that basis, the senior FMCS mediator, who has been assisting the Parties since January 19, 2024, concluded the mediation, and no further meetings were scheduled. ILWU Local 514’s claims that the BCMEA cut-off talks are false.”
