Canada’s special crops industry continues to monitor two potential west coast labour disputes that could disrupt shipments.
Last week, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association reviewed contract proposals submitted by local 514 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada.
The union represents 425 ship and dock foremen working at the British Columbia ports of Vancouver, Squamish and Prince Rupert.
Discussions between the two parties took place Jan. 9 at a federal mediators office, where the employers tabled a response to the union’s proposals.
“While progress was made, some key issues still remain outstanding,” said Greg Vurdela, spokesperson for the BCMEA.
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Mediators have scheduled both parties to return to the bargaining table Jan. 15.
Greg Cherewyk, director of transportation with Pulse Canada, was relieved to hear the parties are working toward a resolution because as of Jan. 2, both were in legal position for a strike or lockout.
“To continue discussions and to continue reviewing offers from both sides is positive because it means that there is potential that we’ll have a solution here,” he said.
Bulk grain shipments are protected by federal legislation that minimizes disruptions to grain shipments in labour disputes.
But containerized shipments are exempt from that legislation and an estimated 40 percent of pulses are shipped by container, the majority of them through the Port of Vancouver.
Cherewyk estimates that in excess of 600,000 tonnes of pulses are shipped in containers through the West Coast each year.
Another looming dispute that could disrupt the flow of special crops is the trucking industry, where unionized truckers are threatening to strike.
Local 2006 of Canadian Auto Workers, which represents about 750 truckers employed by 22 companies operating at the Port of Vancouver, wants stricter enforcement of established pay rates and a moratorium on new port passes issued by the Vancouver Port Authority.
“We’re working towards trying to find a settlement but I think it’s going to be tough to do that given the circumstances, unless we have some action by the provincial and federal governments,” said Hemi Mitic, assistant to the CAW president.
Talks are scheduled for Jan. 15 and 16, as well as Jan. 22 and 23. Mitic said the union will decide on whether it wants to schedule a strike vote some time next week.
Cherewyk doesn’t want to see a repeat of 2005 when a trucker strike disrupted the flow of special crops for six weeks.
He said the consequences would be more severe today than four years ago because more product is being loaded into containers at transloading facilities on the West Coast, where it is then shipped by truck to the docks.
At one time, up to 25 percent of containers containing special crops were loaded on the Prairies. That number has shrunk to six percent as transloading capacity has doubled at the Port of Vancouver over the past two years.
“It means a huge potential impact for our industry,” said Cherewyk.
