Port truckers keen for fair legislation to govern industry going forward
Posted November 2, 2014 11:44 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Hundreds of container truck drivers gathered in Surrey this afternoon, with concerns about how proposed legislation could be brought in.
The union that represents some of those drivers wants to make sure the rollout is fair to those transporting goods in and out of Port Metro Vancouver.
Head of Unifor’s BC branch, Gavin McGarrigle says there needs to be a method to fairly transition drivers out of the system — the port is planning to bring in a new licensing system that will see the number of drivers go down by 500 or 600.
“We certainly support less drivers so that there can be more stable work, and we just want to make sure that they do it fairly. There’s going to be significant changes, the details haven’t been fully fleshed out yet, but it’s safe to say that the entire system is being overhauled,” McGarrigle says.
He says there will be more meetings with the port and with government.
McGarrigle adds drivers are concerned about companies not paying correct rates, and about retroactive payment of rates negotiated back in March.
“Overall there’s a real concern that you know, sort of the second they let down their vigilance, that the government will be more friendly to the trucking company owners than in fact the drivers.”
He says today’s meeting was an opportunity to show there is a lot of unity in the sector.
“There needs to make sure that container truck drivers have a continuous, ongoing seat at the table in the development of measures that affect them and not afterwards just being presented with something, take it or leave it.”
More than 2,000 truckers were on strike for 28 days earlier this year.
