Trains Could Start Rolling ‘Within Days’
Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (CPKC) locked out 9,300 engineers, conductors, and yard workers just after midnight Thursday, capping months of increasingly tense and bitter labour negotiations.
Less than 17 hours after the lockout began, Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon stepped in and directed the board to settle the outstanding terms of the collective agreements and impose final binding arbitration. Both CN and CPKC released statements Thursday saying they would restart operations following MacKinnon’s announcement, but neither offered a timeline.
Canada is the world’s second-largest country by area and relies heavily on railways to transport goods. Its economy is heavily integrated with the U.S. and an extended pause on Canada’s railways would roil North American supply chains.
“We are pleased the government has responded to our calls to intervene… A prolonged stoppage would have imposed enormous costs on Canadian business,” the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, an industry group, said in a statement.
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