Federal government intervenes to end rail lockout with binding arbitration

Federal Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon has intervened in the labour dispute between the railways and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC).

The minister said he hoped trains would be moving again “within days.”

He added that he couldn’t be more specific due to the involvement of the Canada Industrial Relations Board, an independent organization.

After negotiations broke down, at 12:01 AM EDT on August 22, CN and CPKC announced that they would lock out their employees who are members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), and within hours, MacKinnon announced that he would force binding arbitration on the parties.

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“In the current collective bargaining negotiations, an agreement has so far proven elusive,” said MacKinnon at a press conference late on Thursday afternoon. “There is an impasse.”

To break the stalemate, MacKinnon invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code and has directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to begin the process of binding arbitration with the two sides. Additionally, he directed the board to extend the term of the current collective agreements until the terms of the binding arbitration are established.

“Millions of Canadians rely on our railways every day,” said MacKinnon. “The impacts cannot be understated, and they extend to every corner of this country. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure industrial peace in this critically vital sector.”