Steven MacKinnon

The union representing locked-out port workers in B.C. is planning a court challenge after the federal government moved to end the work stoppage. Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon intervened Tuesday to end lockouts at ports in both B.C. and Montreal, directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the resumption of all operations and move the talks to binding arbitration. In B.C., the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship & Dock Foremen Local 514 called the government’s move an insult to the union and to workers’ bargaining rights. …Port workers in B.C. were locked out last week in a labour dispute involving more than 700 longshore supervisors, halting container cargo traffic at terminals on the West Coast. Across the country, the Maritime Employers Association locked out 1,200 longshore workers at the Port of Montreal. …Labour experts have warned that the government’s decision to intervene in these disputes could set a dangerous precedent that undermines workers’ rights.

Related commentary by Campbell Clark in the Globe and Mail (requires subscription): Liberals are stuck in the middle, and risking union support

And from the employers: Maritime Employers Association welcomes Minister of Labour’s decision