Cargo Business Newswire

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Top Story

Port Metro Vancouver truckers refuse port plan as strike continues

Port Metro Vancouver head executive Robin Silvester threatened to revoke the permits of container truck drivers if they don't return to work, following weekend talks between the government, the port, and drivers that failed to result in an agreement.

"A continued refusal by some truckers to provide such service is likely to result in suspension or termination of their permits by Port Metro Vancouver," said Silvester in a port statement released Sunday.

Container volume at the port's four terminals has reportedly fallen by 90 percent since independent truckers walked off the job February 26 and union drivers voted to follow suit, beginning their strike action early last week.

On Thursday the government and port officials released a 14-point proposal designed to end the strike that was rejected by both union and non-union truck drivers.

"The goal is simple, to get Port Metro Vancouver back to full operations,"the statement said. "The action plan was facilitated by both Transport Canada and British Columbia's Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. It addresses concerns raised by truckers in areas such as compensation and wait times, and is a means to get port operations back to normal."

Representatives from Unifor-Vancouver Container Truckers' Association, which represents approximately 400 port truck drivers, and the United Trucking Association, which represents about 1,000 independent, non-union truckers, both stated government officials would not negotiate during their Sunday meeting to discuss the government plan.

"We're prepared to negotiate around the clock to end this dispute,"said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor's B.C. area director, in a statement released Sunday.

Truckers were told by representatives of the port and government to "to take it or leave it," according to Manny Dosange, spokesman for the United Trucking Association, which speaks for the independent drivers. "Our members are not prepared to do that."

The drivers are requesting standardized rates of pay to avoid under-cutting and decreased wait times at Port Metro Vancouver terminals, as well as better wages during wait times.

Chronic wait times at the Canada's largest port has been exacerbated by increased Asian demand for Canadian products, leading to a cargo surge that saw Port Metro Vancouver handling a record 135 million tons of goods in 2013, including about 25 million tons of containerized cargo.

For more of the CBC News story: cbc.ca

For more of the Reuters Canada story: ca.reuters.com