Employers and the union representing British Columbia harbormasters will return to the negotiating table next week with a mediator in the latest attempt to resolve the labor dispute.

The BC Maritime employers’ association says in a statement it will meet on Oct. 29 with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, which represents about 700 longshoremen.

The statement said the negotiating session could be extended to October 30 and 31 if necessary.

The last agreement between the two sides expired in March 2023, and the union said in September that members had voted 96 percent in favor of authorizing strike action if necessary.

No industrial action took place and no strike or lockout notices were issued.

Earlier this week, the Canada Industrial Relations Board issued a ruling on both sides’ complaints, accusing each other of bargaining in bad faith, rejecting the union’s claims while partially agreeing with the employer on its complaint .

The union alleged that one employer, DP World, refused to engage on the issue of labor requirements related to port automation, but the board said in its decision that the workers’ demands “were not presented in the context of collective bargaining or as a negotiation proposal. “

The decision acknowledges that DP World’s “approach to engaging in discussions … may not be conducive to harmonious labor relations”, but adds that there was “no legal requirement” for the company to have acted otherwise.

The board’s ruling also upheld the employers’ complaint against the union for bad faith bargaining “in part,” specifically involving a labor and wage proposal that was presented in April.

The union says negotiations last year failed to deliver a new deal.

Talk of more negotiations comes amid several recent disruptions at the Port of Vancouver.

In September, grain terminal workers picketed six Metro Vancouver grain terminals before an agreement was reached days later.

In August, work stoppages at both major Canadian railways disrupted port operations and the West Coast Express commuter rail service.

In 2023, thousands of workers in a separate dispute at BC ports shut down most operations for 13 days and froze billions in trade at the docks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 25, 2024.