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VANCOUVER — The provincewide lockout against a union of more than 700 foremen at all British Columbia ports was expected to begin at 8 a.m.

The BC Maritime Employers Association has said the lockout is meant to “facilitate a safe and orderly wind-down of operations” in light of “escalating and unpredictable strike action.”

Last week, it said the move was being done “defensively” after International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 had issued a 72-hour strike notice for job action, which also starts at 8 a.m.

The union has accused the association as “acting recklessly” by threatening the industry-wide lockout, saying it was an an “attempt to force the federal government to intervene in the dispute.”

The employers association said in a statement Sunday that the final offer — which was issued to the union’s president on Wednesday — remained open and that if it were accepted by the union, it would avoid “unnecessary strike action.”

Union president Frank Morena said in a news release Sunday that the employers had threatened to remove existing parts of the collective agreement if the union did not accept its final offer.

“Let me be crystal clear to the BCMEA: our union will not sign any contract which includes concessions that remove existing parts of our collective agreement that our members fought long and hard for over many years,” Morena said.

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