A worker drives past cargo containers stacked beneath cranes at Port Metro Vancouver in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday March 13, 2014. More than 1,000 container-truck drivers have been on strike since February 26, refusing to work due to low pay and long delays at port terminals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
March 17, 2014 - 1:29 PM
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's transportation minister says all sides in a truckers' dispute must resume discussions as ongoing job action affects other sectors across the province.
Todd Stone says some companies are temporarily laying off staff because they're no longer receiving goods from the four container terminals at Port Metro Vancouver — Canada's largest port.
He says that includes a planer mill in Terrace, where 142 people are out of work until the dispute is resolved.
Stone says B.C. does not have jurisdiction over the federally regulated port, which typically moves $127 million of cargo every day, but he will speak with his federal counterpart and the infrastructure minister later today.
Stone is also scheduled to meet with a port official to relay his concerns about the work stoppage that he says is hurting B.C. and Canada's reputation in Asia.
Unionized and non-unionized truckers are on strike over rates, licensing and congestion and say the government is unwilling to negotiate on a vague deal that was offered last week.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014