(Reuters distributed the following story on August 9.)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The threat of a labor dispute closing Canada’s Pacific Coast ports, including Vancouver, the country’s busiest, eased on Friday with the appointment of a federal mediator.
The bargaining group for port employers said it hoped to resume talks with unionized dock foremen during the week of Aug. 18, and has promised not to issue a lockout notice while the mediator is working on the case.
Officials of International Longshore and Warehouse local 514, which represents 454 dock foremen, were not available for comment. The union has been asked by the mediator to make a temporary no-strike pledge, according to the employers.
The two sides faced the prospect of a strike or lockout by Tuesday, when a federally mandated “cooling off” period in the dispute was scheduled to expire. The last contract expired in December, but workers have remained on the job.
The head of Vancouver’s Port Authority said on Friday he was “cautiously optimistic” that a costly work stoppage would be avoided, and was pressuring the employers and union to resume negotiations.
“Having spoken to both sides, I don’t find a willingness on either side to have work stop. Everybody seems very keen to make sure the thing keeps going,” said Gordon Houston, president of the authority.
A dispute would disrupt port operations at Vancouver, New Westminster, Prince Rupert, Delta and on Vancouver Island.
Published reports in Vancouver said the two sides are at odds over non-monetary contract issues such as scheduling.