VANCOUVER -- Federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt says a government-backed 14-point action plan remains the best way to resolve a strike that has disrupted Canada's largest port, but container truck drivers insist a negotiated settlement is the only way out.
A strike by more than 1,200 unionized and non-unionized drivers at Port Metro Vancouver's four container terminals initially brought truck traffic to a standstill, but the port says activity is increasing.
Raitt says the resumption of activity indicates steps taken by the government and the port to resolve the dispute are working.
The union representing several hundred truck drivers disagrees, and Unifor's national president, Jerry Dias, accuses Raitt of picking a fight with workers instead of trying to work something out at the bargaining table.
The B.C. government has introduced back-to-work legislation that would force about 250 unionized truckers to return to their jobs, while the port has said truckers who aren't at work won't have their licences renewed.
In addition to the unionized truckers, the dispute also involves more than 1,000 non-unionized workers.
