THE VOICE O

ay

‘ eas

July 23, 1993

-Oh, dear!

'

Industry scrambles to adjust,
port says reputation tarnished

‘scrambling to. mitigate the effects.

A STRIKE by BC Rail employees is sending ‘‘a negative
signal to the international market,” according to a Van-
‘couver Port Corporation spokesman.

Meanwhile, local waterfront in-
dustries service by BC Rail are

of the work stoppage.

The five-day-old BC Rail strike
is presently having a fairly minor
impact overall on Vancouver Port
operations, but the port’s reputa-
tion may suffer because of the
labor dispute, said port
spokesman Trace Acres.

But he added, ‘‘In the past, the
port has had a reputation for
labor disruptions and we feel that

By Anna Marie D’Angelo
News Reporter

that is a bit of a myth.”

Acres said the two operations
being hurt most by the strike are
Vancouver Wharves and Fibreco
Export Inc. in North Vancouver.

Vancouver Wharves was bought
by BC Rail earlier this year.

Vancouver Wharves handles in-

See Suppliers page 3

OFF-ROAD VALUE
Suzuki Sidekick packs a
lot of punch into entry-

level 4x4.

isplay Advertising 980-0511

BC RAIL operations remain shut

down due to a full-scale strike.

that began on Monday evening.

BC Rail spokesman Barrie
Wall said Thursday that no
negotiations were scheduled be-
tween the railway company and
the Council of Trade Unions
(CTU). ;

The CTU represents seven
unions and approximately 1,600
workers at BC Rail.

The unions have been without
a contract since Jan, !.- They
were in 2 legal strike position on
June 19,

In June, the CTU conducted

. S
Ae Ee

oeracss

pad

rotating strikes at the main sta-
tion in North Vancouver and in
Prince George to back contract
demands.

Meanwhile, Wall said that in-
cidents of strikers spitting on
passengers’ cars at the North
Vancouver station on Monday
night were isolated cases.

“Everything has been peace-

ful,’’ said Wall.

Negotiations broke off on
Monday over the issue of wages.

Wage proposals between the
two parties were not far apart at
the time. .

The CTU had asked for a

Fat
aN sie

SHASTA DAISY

A closer look at a
common plant that is
unjustly ignored.

News photo by Mike Wakefield

MOTORISTS STOP to watch as a young deer crosses the street behind Capilano Mall on Wednesday. The
unusual visitor had been calmly munching on greens throughout the morning. Wildlife sightings on the
North Shore increase as the summer progresses.

No talks scheduled in labor dispute

and cost of living allowance
(COLA) in the second year and
1,1% and COLA in the last six
months of an agreement.

BC Rail had proposed a 42-
month contract with 2.0% in-
creases for the first three years
and 1% for the last six months.

The current wage rates for
unionized BC Rail workers range
from $14.60 per hour to $27.55
per hour,

CTU chairman Ray Callard
was unavailable for comment to.
press time.