Close X
Sunday, November 17, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. port employers, foremen's union return to negotiation table with mediator

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 Oct, 2024 05:07 PM
  • B.C. port employers, foremen's union return to negotiation table with mediator

Employers and the union representing foremen at British Columbia's ports will return to the negotiating table next week with a mediator in the latest push for a resolution in the labour dispute.

The BC Maritime Employers Association says in a statement that it will meet Oct. 29 with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, which represents about 700 port foremen. 

The statement says the negotiation session could be extended to Oct. 30 and 31 if necessary.

The last agreement between the two sides expired in March 2023, and the union said in September that members had voted 96 per cent in favour of authorizing strike action if necessary.

No job action has taken place, and no notices of strike or lockout have been issued.

Earlier this week, the Canada Industrial Relations Board issued a ruling on complaints from both sides accusing each other of negotiating in bad faith, dismissing the union's claims, while partly agreeing with the employer on its complaint. 

The union claimed one employer, DP World, refused to engage on the issue of manpower requirements linked to port automation, but the board says in its decision that workers' demands "were not presented in the context of collective bargaining or as a bargaining proposal."

The decision acknowledges that "DP World’s approach of engaging in discussions … may not be conducive to harmonious labour relations" but adds there was "no legal requirement" that the company should have acted otherwise.

The board's ruling also granted the employers' complaint against the union of bad faith bargaining "in part," specifically involving a manpower and pay proposal that was presented in April.

The union says negotiations since last year have failed to deliver a new deal.

Word of more negotiations comes with the backdrop of several recent disruptions at Vancouver's port. 

In September, grain terminal workers set up pickets at six Metro Vancouver grain terminals before a deal was reached days later.

In August, work stoppages at both major Canadian railways disrupted port operations and West Coast Express commuter rail service. 

In 2023, thousands of workers in a separate dispute at B.C.'s ports shut down most operations for 13 days and froze billions in trade at the docks.

MORE National ARTICLES

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA
Officials at NASA say the mission that will send a Canadian astronaut into lunar space for the first time is still on track to launch in November of next year.  Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, from London, Ont.,  was on hand in Florida today for a public update on Artemis II, the first trip to lunar space in 52 years.

Moon mission with Canada's Jeremy Hansen remains on schedule for November 2024: NASA

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers
Under the "recognized employer pilot" program, companies with a good track record would only need to prove that they require temporary foreign workers every three years, instead of every 18 months. n The employer's trusted status would also be flagged to potential workers in the government's job bank.

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers

News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking

News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking
Social media giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has said it will begin blocking news on its platforms in Canada starting Tuesday after the Canadian government passed a bill forcing Google and Meta to pay publishers for content they link to or repurpose.  

News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking

Rain, cooler weather could bring relief to B.C. wildfire crews as new fires start

Rain, cooler weather could bring relief to B.C. wildfire crews as new fires start
The wildfire service says more than 200 of those blazes remain out of control, including a small fire northwest of Princeton that was sparked by a malfunctioning ATV but grew quickly, forcing a speedy but safe evacuation of about 1,000 people at a nearby music festival on Sunday night.

Rain, cooler weather could bring relief to B.C. wildfire crews as new fires start

Business groups ask government for labour changes after end of B.C. port dispute

Business groups ask government for labour changes after end of B.C. port dispute
Business groups continued to call on the federal government to take action in the wake of the recently resolved British Columbia port workers dispute on Saturday, arguing Ottawa must ensure such a disruption never happens again. But the federal government is walking a difficult tightrope between the demands of the business community and protecting workers' constitutional rights.

Business groups ask government for labour changes after end of B.C. port dispute

Mounties in Coquitlam seek witnesses to attempted murder in city park

Mounties in Coquitlam seek witnesses to attempted murder in city park
Coquitlam RCMP say they're investigating an altercation between "at least two adult males" in Brookmere Park that occurred around 9:15 in the morning. Investigators say they're looking for more witnesses and any video footage of the altercation, but the nature of what exactly happened remains unknown. 

Mounties in Coquitlam seek witnesses to attempted murder in city park