[ad_1]
After a bitter contract dispute Closing of two of the country’s main railways,federal labor The board ordered thousands of railway employees to return to work on Saturday.
Federal Labour Minister Stephen McKinnon asked that both parties be sent to binding arbitration while the deal is being worked out between Canadian National Railway Co., Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway Co. and the Teamsters union, which represents thousands of workers.
The commission also ordered that no further work stoppages, lockouts or strikes occur during the arbitration process. This means that the Teamsters’ recent strike notice against CN is now void.
CN said it would comply with the order, which also extends the current collective agreement until a new one is signed by both parties.
The Teamsters union said in a statement it would “comply with the law” with the board’s decision but would also appeal to the federal court.
“This decision by the Teamsters sets a dangerous precedent,” Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canadian Railway Conference, said in a statement.
“This sends a signal to Canadian business that all it takes for a large company to stop operating for a few hours, causing short-term economic damage, is for the federal government to step in and break up a union. Canadian workers’ rights are now significantly diminished.”
Get national breaking news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts directly as they happen.
“The Trudeau Liberals chose to antagonize middle- and working-class Canadians, abandoning their so-called progressive values at the first sign of short-term supply chain disruptions. The Teamsters have fought to protect Canada’s rail safety, improve working conditions, and stop CN Railway from forcing workers to relocate thousands of kilometres from home – and we will continue to do so.”
The union said it would comply with any decision of the board and was “prepared to file a lawsuit in federal court if necessary.”
Related Videos
In an update to X, McKinnon said he is “hopeful that the railroad and its employees will be back up and running as soon as possible.”
Railway suspensions hit Canadian economyProvinces, economists, business groups, the agricultural sector, exporters and retailers have expressed concerns about the potential for huge losses and supply chain disruptions in different industries that rely on the rail network.
The main sticking points in the negotiations Surrounding issues such as relocation, rest time and shift scheduling, the union said the latter two demands stemmed from workers’ safety concerns.
The gridlock also affected tens of thousands of passengers in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, cities where rail lines run on tracks owned by CPKC and where passenger trains cannot run without the guidance of transit dispatchers.
-With files from The Canadian Press
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
[ad_2]
Source link
