VANCOUVER — The Canadian Press Last updated on Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009 09:52PM EDT
Unionized B.C. port workers who had threatened to strike as early as Friday are set to resume contract talks with their employers Saturday.
Tom Dufresne, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union's Canadian arm, said workers would stay on the job while the union continues to negotiate with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association.
Mr. Dufresne declined to provide details, citing a news blackout on the talks, but said he is “always hopeful that a resolution can be reached.”
The dispute involves about 450 members of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, but 5,000 other workers could walk off the job in support.
Local 514 workers have been without a contract since March 2007. The main issues are said to be pension payments and working conditions.
A strike could have a serious impact throughout Canada, halting imports and exports through the Pacific ports.
Port Metro Vancouver chief executive Gordon Houston has written to federal Labour Minister Rona Ambrose, saying a strike would “significantly impact most of Canada's West Coast supply chains at a critical time in our economic history.”
He said about $200-million in cargo passes through Port Metro Vancouver every day.
Much of it is carried by Canada's two main railways — Montreal-based Canadian National and Calgary-based Canadian Pacific Railway.
The Prince George (B.C.) Development Corp. has called on the federal government to intervene, but back-to-work legislation could not be passed until Parliament resumes sitting, which is set for Jan. 26.
The CEO of the Prince George corporation, Tim McEwan, also wrote to Ms. Ambrose, warning that a port shutdown could have irreversible consequences, especially for the newly expanded Prince Rupert operation.
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