UPDATE: August 23, 2024.
Workers at Canadian National Railway returned to work on Friday, according to Reuters, after the Canadian government took action to end the rail stoppage.
The original story, published on August 21:
Freight transport in Canada is on the brink of severe disruption, with indefinite strike action planned from Thursday, 22 August. The dispute, concerning safety issues around the hours worked by staff, could see around 9,300 workers at Canada’s two major railways walk out on strike or locked out of premises.
Orbit International Moving’s President and CEO Adi Shaked warned people with shipments due to pass through the country that the company believed a strike is inevitable.
‘Please be prepared for lengthy delays and possible additional charges in the case of a strike,’ he said. He added that the action could lead to shipments becoming stuck at ports where they would be subject to storage and detention charges, while exports would need to be stored at the company’s facility for loading at a later date.
‘Orbit understands that these events and their associated costs are of great concern to our customers, agents, and partners,’ said Shaked. ‘We will do our very best to help all parties concerned navigate this disruption and manage potential impacts.’
The country’s Minister of Labour, Steven MacKinnon, has called for CN Rail (CN), the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) to ‘do the hard work necessary’ to stop the strike, which would have an economic impact of billions of dollars (1 CAD is approximately 0.73 USD).
CN and CPKC have issued notices to the TCRC formally advising them of their intentions to lock out Canadian TCRC-represented employees from midnight on August 22 unless an agreement can be reached.
The Canadian Federation for Independent Business has warned that shutdowns at both railways would ‘paralyse the economy’. This is the first time that Canada has faced a simultaneous stoppage of both its major railways.
