BC Port labour troubles percolate again as Dock Foremen and Employers go to conciliation talks

Will there be another work stoppage on BC waterfronts?
The next two months of conciliation talks  with Dock and Ship Foremen
will chart that course for the BC shipping industry

There may be more uncertainty on the docks of British Columbia in the months ahead, that after ILWU 514  the union which represents Ship and Dock Foremen and the British Columbia Marine Employers Association reached a deadlock in their recent round of negotiations in early January.

The Employers Association updated the labour situation last month, noting that they had filed a Notice of Dispute and were seeking the services of Federal conciliation.

A request that has seen three Conciliation officers appointed to the negotiations to try to resolve the impasse.

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The ILWU website has yet to taken note of the current status of negotiations 

The labour dispute involves 730 Ship and Dock Foremen working on the waterfronts of British Columbia, it follows the labour troubles of 2023 which saw extensive port shut downs through much of July.

From the conciliation work ahead, the next benchmark of note is March 19th when the  60 day mandate for the Three Federal conciliators will expire,  any extension to that mandate would require the approval of both parties. 

Once that March 19th date arrives, a 21 day cooling off period would commence, which would mean any potential labour disruptions would not likely take place until after April 9th, that is if the two sides have not reached an agreement by that time.

So far, Seamus O'Regan, the Federal Minister of Labour has not spoken to the latest labour troubles for BC Ports.

Minister's Facebook Page, Twitter X stream, Ministry news releases.

Last year following the ILWU/BCMEA dispute the Federal Government noted of the impact on trade that the labour issues has on the Canadian Economy. 

"Canada is a reliable trading partner to the world. That is a good thing for every employer and worker in this country. But our credibility depends on the stable operation of our supply chains. We must do everything we can to preserve that stability.”  -- Federal Minister Seamus O'Regan on  port turmoil last October

A review from that dispute was to be completed by December, so far none of the findings from that work have been released.

More notes on Labour on the North Coast can be reviewed here.