This time, British Columbia is on its own.
Six times since 1972, federal governments have jumped in to settle labour disputes in Vancouver involving the workers who load and unload ships at North America’s third-largest port.
But as the current shutdown of Vancouver’s docks drags on, the federal Liberals are staying out of it.
They appear to be ignoring increasingly frantic calls for intervention from industry groups and politicians alarmed by the $90-million-a-day cost of the dispute, which has halted the flow of freight through the port and elsewhere on the B.C. coast and has prompted concerns about impacts on everything from the supply of Christmas merchandise to forestry products.
“The pressure needs to be on the parties to resolve [the situation],” Premier Dan Miller said Tuesday. “If, at the end of the day, they can’t get there, then the federal government has to take action.”
Industry Minister Mike Farnworth was equally emphatic.
“[The federal Liberals] have a role to play in getting the parties back to the table and they are going to have to recognize that,” said Farnworth.
But for now at least, Ottawa appears to be content to let the parties to the dispute work things out by themselves.
Bob Wilds, head of the 71-member B.C. Maritime Employers Association, sits on one side of the conflict, staring across a chasm of mistrust at more than 2,000 longshoremen the association has locked out.
After 13 months of talks, the association locked out the longshoremen on Sunday, largely because members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 500 are standing firm on using union labour, not a non-union firm, to test sulphur at the Pacific Coast Terminal Dock in Port Moody.
On Tuesday, the exasperated Wilds repeated his argument that his association cannot tell member companies how to handle their affairs.
But he said he is not interested in getting help from Ottawa to end the impasse.
“It’s much better living under the terms and conditions of collective agreements that are freely negotiated than one stuffed down either or both parties’ throats,” he said.
“I want this issue resolved by us. That’s what we have been trying to do for 13 months.”
Union spokesman Tom Dufresne agreed.
“There’s no need for Ottawa to get involved,” he said, suggesting his members are ready to work if the employers lift the lockout.
Federal Labour Minister Claudette Bradshaw and Transport Minister David Collenette have said they would rather that both sides settle the dispute themselves without federal intervention.
Emily Thomas, a spokeswoman for Bradshaw, refused Tuesday to comment on how long the federal government will allow the dispute to continue.
“I don’t want to speculate on when that position would be,” she said from Ottawa.
She also flatly rejected a suggestion the labour department is wary about setting some kind of precedent.
“Our concern is getting the best collective agreement for both parties,” she said.
There is another issue involved, too. Earlier this year, legislation was enacted that forces longshoremen to continue moving grain during a strike or lockout.
The legislation prompted concerns among some observers about discrimination along commodity lines and the suggestion by employers’ groups that continued grain shipments might essentially subsidize extended disputes.
“It means the rest of the port can shut down but the grain continues to move,” said Mark Thompson, a professor of industrial relations at the University of British Columbia.
“The political pressure to intervene is diminished quite a bit.”
Thompson also said Ottawa might be wary about the longterm costs of imposing a settlement.
“I assume [the federal Liberals] believe that if the dispute goes to a conclusion without their intervention, the prospects for future peace are enhanced,” he said. “If you have back-to-work legislation now, you’re laying the groundwork for another back-to-work law in the future.”
There was little sign of progress Tuesday in the situation. Neither side is moving toward talks.
Norman Stark, president of the Vancouver Port Authority, whose officials have been loudly expressing concerns about the dispute’s costs, said he hopes Ottawa’s stance is a temporary posture.
“I am hoping that their next position comes quickly if the parties don’t reach a settlement,” he said. “The Western Canadian economy cannot afford a long dispute.”
THE KEY ISSUES
CONTRACTING OUT: Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 500 are opposed to the use of non-union labour to test sulphur at the Pacific Coast Terminal dock in suburban Port Moody.
CONTRACT VOTE: The B.C. Maritime Employers Association is angered about the union’s refusal to put a final offer to a vote. The union says the deal is too similar to one members have already rejected.
UNCERTAINTY: Management says it has locked out workers in a bid to ensure stability in the industry.
WAGES: Not a major problem, says union president Tom Dufresne noting: “We’re close. It could be resolved if we were sitting at the table.”
