The strike at British Columbia ports enters its fourth day after talks between the two sides stalled on Monday with both sides accusing the other of being unreasonable.
The BC Maritime Employers Association released a statement Monday afternoon saying it had gone as far as possible on core issues and it doesn鈥檛 think more bargaining is going to produce a collective agreement.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, representing thousands of workers who load and unload cargo at terminals at more than 30 B.C. ports, says it鈥檚 the association that 鈥渟abotaged the progress.鈥�
Thousands of union members walked off the job Saturday morning. Both sides negotiated over the weekend and were at the table earlier in the day on Monday.
The association said it has advanced 鈥渞easonable proposals and positions in good faith鈥� but said the union refuses to budge.
鈥淚LWU Canada went on strike over demands that were and continue to be outside any reasonable framework for settlement. Given the foregoing mentioned, the BCMEA is of the view that a continuation of bargaining at this time is not going to produce a collective agreement,鈥� the statement read.
鈥淚LWU Canada needs to decide if they are going to continue this strike with no hope of settlement, or significantly modify their position so a fair and balanced deal can be reached.鈥�
A key stumbling block appears to be around maintenance work, with the association accusing the union of attempting to change definitions and 鈥渁ggressively expand their scope.鈥� Union president Rob Ashton said ILWU Canada is focused on stopping 鈥渢he erosion of jurisdiction鈥� and the extensive use of contractors.
鈥淲hen we finally had a document that was largely agreed upon as the result of continuous movement by the union on this one position the association decided to change their position in an attempt to muddy the water and mischaracterize the work, we have spent months discussing,鈥� Ashton said in a statement.
Ashton said it鈥檚 reasonable for workers, who he said helped achieve record profits during the pandemic, to have a fair and equitable share of them.
The strike led businesses organizations to issue warnings about wide-reaching implications across the country, with some pushing for the federal government to step in with back-to-work legislation.
The union, meanwhile, warned Ottawa not to interfere.
鈥淲e implore the BCMEA to get back to the table to achieve a fair and reasonable agreement that the parties negotiate together,鈥� Ashton said in his statement.
鈥淚t is unrealistic to think that a collective agreement that is imposed will result in long term labour stability in the industry. The parties need to put their best effort forward for the entire country and not just their individual aims.鈥�
Federal Labour Minister Seamus O鈥橰egan has said the focus of negotiations 鈥渘eeds to be on the table.鈥�
The association represents 49 private sector employers operating in B.C. ports, and its website says the industry contributes $2.7 billion to Canada鈥檚 GDP while handling roughly 16 per cent of the country鈥檚 total traded goods 鈥� amounting to $180 billion in 2020.
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