Canada’s Labour Minister says mediators are “on site” as a lock-out was set to get underway this at BC ports.
Last week, the BC Maritime Employers Assocation issued lockout notice for 8am PST this morning, affecting over seven hundred forepersons.
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon posted on social media Sunday that he was in touch with the BCMEA and ILWU 514 on the negotiations and that federal mediators are “on site, ready to assist the parties.”
The two sides have a responsibility to reach an agreement as “businesses, workers, and farmers are counting on them to get a deal,” stated MacKinnon.
The BCMEAssociation says there is a threat of escalating and unpredictable strike action and the move will facilitate a safe and orderly wind-down of operations.
The International Longshore Workers Union, Local 514, says its limited job action planned for today involved an “overtime ban and a refusal to implement tech change” unless a contract agreement was reached.
The union says the BCMEA is completely overreacting by imposing a lockout.
ILWU, Local 514, president Frank Morena says members of his union will not agree to concessions that remove existing parts of their collective agreement.
The Canadian Federal of Independent Business issued a news release this morning calling on the federal government to keep West Coast ports open to avoid the impact on small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses.
“The federal government must ensure BC ports remain fully operational during the current negotiation. Small businesses cannot bear the cost of another long strike or lockout. CFIB continues to call on government to make ports an essential service, so they remain operational at all times.”
The union calls the lockout threat an attempt to force federal government intervention.
