Halifax longshoremen protest over lines work they say should be theirs

Longshoremen in Halifax picketed near the Port of Halifax's cruise berths on Tuesday, crossing crosswalks and slowing down traffic in protest of what their union said is cruise ship crews doing work that longshoremen should be doing.

Cruise ships normally come alongside a berth and are then tied up by the union's workers.

But the union's president said this season, some cruise ships are anchoring and then ferrying their passengers ashore using smaller boats, with their own crews tying the boats.

This is a violation of the union's collective agreement, said Kevin Piper, president of the Halifax Longshoremen's Association. "We've been doing lines in the cruise industry since the cruise industry came to Halifax."

He added that there are other ports in North America where longshoremen handle tying tenders — the smaller boats that ferry passengers to shore. 

Although the amount of work in question is not large, Piper is concerned there could be more that is disputed in the future.

"It's a slippery slope," he said.

The Halifax Employers Association represents employers that have longshoring industry operations at the Port of Halifax and is the organization the longshoremen's union has its collective agreement with. The association was not immediately available for comment. 

In an emailed statement, the Halifax Port Authority said with ships getting larger and carrying thousands of passengers, "operational requirements may mean a larger vessel will need to anchor south of Georges Island," adding that there are eight more expected days where cruise ships will need to ferry passengers ashore this season.

The port authority does not directly contract labour, but its statement said that based on feedback from cruise lines, crews from cruise ships handle lines work for tenders at other ports in Canada.

"This is something skilled and trained cruise ship crews do on a regular basis."

Piper said the longshoremen's association hasn't made any decisions for future actions yet, and that he's hopeful the union and the Halifax Employers Association can come to an agreement on this issue before the next cruise ship that requires tenders arrives at port.