Talks break off in B.C. port dispute as bid to end multi-day lockout fails

Contract negotiations in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday have been called off.

In an update posted to their website on Saturday night, the B.C. Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) says they and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 514 met separately with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and “there was no progress made.”

“On that basis, the FMCS concluded the mediation, and no further meetings are scheduled,” the employers said in a release.

The union for locked-out workers is accusing employers of abruptly ending contract talks early.

ILWU Local 514 says the BCMEA ended federally mandated talks with a mediator less than an hour after they began late Saturday afternoon.

The employers and union were originally scheduled to meet for three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon intervened earlier during the strike to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon said the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption. 

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union said it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members. 

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full…