International Longshore Workers Union Accuses Maritime Employers Association of Deliberately Sabotaging Negotiations

Members of the International Longshore Workers Union say the BC Maritime Employers Association deliberately sabotaged their negotiations.

That comes after the Association accused the Union of attempting to expand their scope of work during the negotiations, which began in February.

They say that the Union has aggressively attempted to re-define the scope of regular maintenance work far beyond well-established definitions.

But, the ILWU says their focus has been on ending the extensive-use of contractors for maintenance work which falls under their jurisdiction.

According to the Union, the pair had largely agreed to a document surrounding maintenance, when the Association changed their position.

In doing so, they claim the BCMEA drew a line in the sand which ended all former progress, and left no avenue to achieve its goals.

Other issues, such as pay and port automation, also remain focal points as port workers head into day 4 of a strike.

In total, the ILWU represents more than 7,200 workers tasked with loading and unloading cargo at ports across BC.