Around 9,000 engineers, conductors and yard workers at Canada’s two major railways could soon be off the job.
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), the union representing workers at CPKC, announced Sunday it had given 72-hour strike notice.
The railway had already said it would lock out workers early Thursday if there was no deal in place.
Meanwhile, CN has also issued a lockout notice effective early Thursday for workers represented by TCRC.
The company said in a news release that there was no meaningful progress during weekend negotiations.
“Unless there is an immediate and definite resolution to the labour conflict, CN will have no choice but to continue the phased and progressive shutdown of its network which would culminate in a lockout,” said the release.
“This planned shut down helps to ensure the safety of the communities in which we operate and the safety of our customers’ goods, and to optimize the network’s recovery following a labour disruption.”
A strike or lockout by both rail companies would halt most of our country’s freight rail system.
RELATED: Growing concern over possible rail strike or lockout
Ron Marcolin, divisional vice-president of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), previously told our newsroom that they are extremely concerned.
“It comes at a very, very tenuous time in Canada,” Marcolin told our newsroom last week.
“We’re still getting over COVID, we have obviously a lot of pressures economically, and we can’t be seen as a country that’s closed for business.”
Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon rejected a request for binding arbitration last week.
