Harper government introduces back-to-work legislation for CP Rail workers
Posted May 28, 2012 03:42:49 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – The federal government has introduced back-to-work legislation to end the strike at Canadian Pacific Rail workers.
Mediated talks between the railway and its 4,800 workers collapsed Sunday.
Labour minister Lisa Raitt said she is taking this action to protect the economy.
“If this strike were to continue long term, it could cost the Canadian economy over half a billion dollars each week and put the jobs of thousands of Canadians at risk,” she said.
Raitt said a prolonged strike would cost the Canadian economy $540-million a week, and reiterated that point when asked why the government was so quick to intervene.
“There is a point in time when a person’s right to strike is measured and balanced against the national economy and the best interests of the Canadian public,” she said.
Picket lines are up at CP Rail yards as 4,800 engineers, controllers and conductors — represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference — went on strike just after midnight.
The major points of contention at the bargaining table are pensions, some work rules and fatigue management.
CP Rail has suspended its freight service. The strike halts shipments of grain, fertilizer, coal and other goods the rail company moves along nearly 24,000 kilometres of track in Canada and the United States.
