Port workers’ union accuses BC Maritime Employers Association of ending talks early

A labour dispute continues to paralyze cargo shipping at British Columbia ports, and the union for locked-out workers is accusing employers of abruptly ending contract talks early.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Local 514 says the BC Maritime Employers Association ended federally mandated talks with a mediator less than an hour after they began late Saturday afternoon.

Locked out International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 port workers walk to a rally as gantry cranes and cargo containers are seen in the distance, in Vancouver, on Friday, November 8, 2024. Employers and the union representing supervisors embroiled in a labour dispute that triggered a lockout at British Columbia’s ports will attempt to reach a deal when talks restart this weekend. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The employers association said in an evening statement each side met separately with a mediator in Vancouver, but that there was “no progress made.”

At this time, no further negotiations are scheduled.

The two sides were slated to meet for three days to try to break a deadlock that has left more than 700 unionized port supervisors locked out since Monday.

The workers have been without a contract since March 2023.