VANCOUVER — Employers have laid off more than 700 union workers in the latest development in a labor dispute that the union says will close all British Columbia ports until further notice.

The BC Maritime Employers Association said Monday its “difficult decision” to impose a lockout came after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 began “industry-wide strike activity” at shipping terminals. employers.

The employers association said in a statement that the lockout in response to the strike would begin at the 4:30 pm shift on Monday and continue until further notice, but would not affect grain or cruise ship operations.

“The ILWU Local 514 strike has already begun to impact BC coastal operations and strike activity can easily escalate, including a complete withdrawal of workers without notice,” the employers said in explaining their decision to lock out union members. .

Local 514 said in an email response that members went to work as normal at 8 a.m. Monday, but an overtime ban was implemented and workers “would refuse to participate in technological change as their limited work action.” .

A union statement Monday in response to the lockout said employers have “deliberately and irresponsibly overreacted” to its overtime ban, which was aimed at restarting stalled talks that have been ongoing for nearly two years.

Local 514 President Frank Morena said in the statement that the lockout is a “clear effort to force the federal government to intervene.”

Speaking in Parliament on Monday, federal Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon reiterated that he spoke to both employers and the union over the weekend and urged them to find a solution.

“It’s their responsibility and they need to do the work necessary to reach an agreement,” MacKinnon said.

The minister’s comments come after questions from NDP parliamentary member Matthew Green.

“This blatant attempt to manipulate this Liberal government into undermining workers’ rights is an outrageous attack on free collective bargaining,” Green said in Parliament.

The employers’ association, however, said the only reason the lockout was triggered was the union’s strike.

Morena said union negotiators are “ready to resume talks whenever the BCMEA appears.”

The two sides met for mediation talks last week, and Local 514 accused the employers of failing to show up on Thursday, the last day of scheduled talks.

“Our union members have been trying since our contract expired on March 31, 2023 to reach a new collective agreement and have been more than patient in the face of BCMEA’s provocation, which continues today with a large-scale lockout,” Morena said in a statement. Monday.

The union issued its notice of job action last Thursday in response to a “final offer” submitted by employers a day earlier, an offer the association said would give a 19.2 percent pay increase over a four-way deal. years ending in 2027.

“BCMEA’s final offer to the union represents our best effort to resolve the dispute and move forward with an agreement that recognizes the skills and efforts of 730 hardworking foremen and their families, while ensuring that Canada’s west coast ports continue to being reliable and stable for the many customers and supply chain partners who do business there,” the association said at the time.

The association also said the offer would include a 16 percent increase in retirement benefits, additional recognized holidays and an average lump sum of $21,000 for eligible employees that includes back wages since the contract expired.

“Despite ILWU Local 514’s regrettable decision to destabilize Canada’s supply chain, the BCMEA’s comprehensive offer remains open until it is withdrawn,” the employers association said Monday.

In its response on Sunday, the union said the employers’ proposal did not address one of workers’ main concerns: a staffing requirement that addresses the implementation of port automation at facilities such as DP World’s Centrem container terminal in Vancouver.

Local 514 said employers have “demanded that the union agree that the technological change provisions of the Canada Labor Code that apply to all federally unionized workers be waived in a new contract,” a demand Morena called “ridiculous.”

“The idea that our union would waive provisions of the Canada Labor Code that protect not only ILWU Local 514 but all Canadian workers is absolutely outrageous,” Morena said in Sunday’s statement.

Morena also said employers told the union they would eliminate parts of the existing collective bargaining agreement, including retroactive wages as well as welfare improvements and other benefits, if the union did not accept their final offer presented Wednesday.

The business owners, in response to Morena’s comments, questioned a series of points raised by the union leader.

The association said its final offer not only matched an agreement reached last year with dockworkers to end a dispute that included a 13-day freeze at British Columbia ports, but also included “additional elements” specifically for workers. members of Local 514.

“The BCMEA does not require any concessions from the union in our final offer, nor does the final offer eliminate any elements of the existing collective bargaining agreement,” the employers said.

The labor disruption in Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, has sparked concern among political and business leaders alike.

In a joint written statement, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen called on the federal government to “urgently intervene with binding arbitration” in future disputes, while also improving “its strategy to manage labor relations” in federally regulated transportation sectors.

“These ports export around $50 million in key Alberta commodities each day, including agricultural, energy and manufacturing-related products,” the statement said. “A prolonged work stoppage will disrupt the movement of these products, delay other transportation networks such as rail and trucking, and harm the economies of Alberta and Canada.”

Canadian Chemical Industry Association president Bob Masterson said in a statement that “this level of uncertainty further tests Canada’s reputation as a reliable trading partner,” while Fertilizer Canada urged the government to legislate changes that would force service provision to continue during a strike or lockout in the port sector. .

“Once again we are on the brink of losing access to a critical trade corridor,” Fertilizer Canada president Karen Proud said in the statement, pointing to disruptions earlier this year when Canada’s two major railways closed due to labor disputes.

“Potassium fertilizers will be one of the most affected products,” he stated. “We are calling on the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of Canada to reach a resolution and avoid a catastrophic closure.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press