Should feds implement back-to-work legislation?
More than 7,000 workers who load and unload cargo at more than 30 ports in British Columbia have been on strike since Saturday morning and groups are now calling for interference from the federal government.
Over the long weekend, representatives for the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada engaged in negotiations. On Monday, however, the association issued a statement saying it didn't think more bargaining was going to produce a deal, according to a CBC report.
The union's demands were "outside any reasonable framework for settlement," the association said, according to a report from The Canadian Press, published on CBC.
Meanwhile, Rob Ashton, president of ILWU, expressed in a statement their “disappointment that the BCMEA had abandoned talks”.
“The BCMEA is accusing the union of attempting to aggressively expand on its jurisdiction over regular maintenance work. This is completely false and evidence that the association is deaf to the real and legitimate concerns of the union.
“We call on the BCMEA to get back to the table and do the hard work necessary to reach an agreement. If the association will not negotiate, we call on the member employers to negotiate directly with the union. A negotiated settlement is possible, and we are capable of getting the job done.”
In May, the union representing workers at Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) called for preventive action from the employer as the possibility of a strike neared.
Now, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) is calling on the federal government to make legal changes that would discourage future disruptions, according to The Canadian Press, published on CBC.
Designating ports and rail lines as essential infrastructure and limiting when and where labour and other disruptions can occur would provide manufacturers the stability they need, it said.
Meanwhile, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade wants the federal government to "use every tool at its disposal" to ensure that the B.C. Maritime Employers Association and the ILWU strike a deal so that activity at the city’s port will resume.
It said Ottawa must even implement back-to-work legislation, if necessary.
Several unions hunted down members who crossed the picket lines while the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) was on strike in April.
