Canada’s industrial relations board on Saturday (24.08.2024) ordered striking railway workers to return to work and imposed binding arbitration to resolve labour disputes at the country’s two largest freight transport companies.
The strikes began on Thursday morning with the walkout of nearly 10,000 workers affiliated with the Teamsters Canada (TCRC) union at the Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) transport companies.
Railroads play a crucial role in the economy, with CPKC and CN moving more than C$1 billion (US$730 million) a day and transporting billions of dollars worth of freight between the U.S. and Canada each month.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government quickly referred the labour disputes to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) for resolution through arbitration.
CN and CPKC, which control routes from the Atlantic to the Pacific and to the United States, transport all kinds of merchandise, ranging from grains to vehicles to oil. Image: Peter Power/The Canadian Press/AP/picture alliance
Union will comply with CIRB decision
The board ordered the strike to end on Monday. The Teamsters union said it would abide by the decision but would appeal in federal court.
The dispute between the workers and CPKC centers on safety issues linked to fatigue from long working hours, which means dangerous conditions for train crews.
CN said it was “disappointed that no agreement could be reached at the negotiating table” but welcomed the independent tribunal’s order which “puts an end to the uncertainty that has been negatively impacting supply chains for months.”
“Railways and employees will resume operations as soon as possible,” Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said in X.
