Above: Premier Christy Clark and union representatives sign an agreement to reopen Port Metro Vancouver tomorrow. Keith Baldrey explains how the deal came to be.
An agreement in principle has been reached between Port Metro Vancouver and striking truckers, bringing an end to job action at Canada’s largest port.
Premier Christy Clark signed a new 14-point plan for resolving the strike with Unifor president Jerry Dias and Iqbal Grewal of the United Truckers’ Association after a full day of negotiation. The provincial government also took off the table back-to-work legislation that was to be debated tonight.
“This agreement means our port is open for business starting tomorrow morning,” said Christy Clark after a flurry of meetings between government officials and the truckers.
“This is by far the most complicated set of negotiations I’ve ever been involved on,” said Dias after the agreement was announced.
“What changed today was the willingness to listen. The key thing was the desire to find resolve.”
“Our Government is pleased that truckers have agreed to get back to work at the Port Metro Vancouver,” said Transport Minister Lisa Raitt in a statement.
“We will continue to work with the British Columbia Government and Port Metro Vancouver to ensure truckers get back to work and keep our economy on track.”
Among the 14 points in the deal are a minimum wage of $25.13/hour for all drivers, and labour mediator Vince Ready issue recommendations on each point, allowing the agreement to be fully implemented within 90 days.
The strike began on February 26, when over 1000 UTA non-unionized truckers went off the job to protest low pay and long delays at port terminals.
They were joined on March 10 by about 250 unionized truck drivers represented by Unifor, who voted 98 per cent to strike.
With truck traffic plummeted to 10 per cent of normal levels, a 14-point plan was put forward by the Port last week, which was quickly rejected by both unions.
In response, the provincial government announced back-to-work legislation on Monday, with steep daily penalties of thousands of dollars for unionized truckers that didn’t comply.
WATCH: Legislation tabled to force hundreds of truckers back to work
The federal government had also threatened to revoke the licenses of non-unionized workers, while truckers asked them to directly be involved in negotiations.
One of the revived points in the tentative agreement between the two sides was that non-unionized truckers who had their licenses expire during the stoppage would have them renewed by the government without penalty.
By Tuesday evening, negotiations between the two sides had begun in earnest, and a news conference by the workers set for this morning was repeatedly delayed.
The truckers don’t directly work for the port. They are typically independent contracts, sub-contractors or direct employees of shipping companies.
Trucks account for about half of the traffic in and out of the port, with the other half moving by rail.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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