The 17-month-long labour dispute at Ikea’s Richmond store could have a resolution by Friday, when mediator Vince Ready is expected to hand down his binding recommendations.
Ready, who brokered a deal between B.C.’s unionized teachers and the government, had been called in to mediate the Ikea dispute earlier, but booked out after just one day, saying both sides were too far apart on wages, benefits and guaranteed hours.
He agreed to rejoin the discussions on the condition both sides accept binding arbitration.
Roughly 300 unionized staff have been walking the picket line since May 2013.
The dispute has been hamstrung around the status of 35 union members, who returned to work shortly after job action started.
Teamsters Local 213, which expelled those workers from their union, wants them re-assigned to another work location.
Despite that impasse, Ikea remains confident a deal can be reached and initiated a call for binding arbitration.
“Ikea is committed to resolving the dispute. The strike has gone on too long and is not in anyone’s best interest,” said Ikea spokeswoman Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick in an email.
She added the Swedish furniture giant is confident it would be supported in its position that the company is providing a fair and generous offer to employees.
Part of that confidence rests with a recent pair of Labour Board rulings, Löwenborg-Frick said.
At the end of August, the LRB dismissed Teamsters’ application asking for the removal of the 35 Richmond employees for returning to work during the strike.
The board also found Ikea did not bargain in bad faith and the union’s request to remove the employees would have been against the Canada Labour Code.
The union has maintained it did not want those workers fired, but re-assigned or given management status.
Teamsters’ spokeswoman Anita Dawson said Tuesday morning she could not provide detail on the talks so far this week and was reserving comment until she sees the details in Ready’s recommendations when they are released Friday.
Since the dispute started, the local Ikea has been run with reduced services — the store’s restaurant and bistro have been closed, and product returns have re-directed to its Coquitlam store, which is staffed by non-union workers.
