About 4,800 Canadian Pacific Railway workers walked off the job early Wednesday after reaching a midnight strike deadline without having reached a deal with the employer.
Freight service ground to a halt, and on Wednesday CP temporarily laid off 2,000 additional workers whose services they say aren't needed during the stoppage. Another 1,400 employees could also be sent home at any time, the company said.
Raitt told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday that a negotiated settlement is the best solution, but said the federal government is ready to step in if that doesn't happen. Raitt estimates a prolonged strike will cost the Canadian economy $540 million per week.
"When 5,000 employees going on strike starts affecting tens of thousands of employees at Ford plants or GM plants or at coal mines or grain farmers, then it's a bigger impact than what's just happening at the company," Raitt said.
"And it's more than appropriate, in fact one would say the government is obliged to step in and ensure we put the people back to work and we make sure the system continues to operate for the greater sake of the nation."
On Wednesday, Raitt put the parties on notice that the government was preparing legislation and was ready to act if the union and employer can't reach a deal on their own. On Thursday, however, she said the government is giving the parties some space to work out their own agreement.
"They're at the table again this morning starting at 9 o'clock and they were at the table last night, and they have the ability to do their own deal and that's really what we're focusing on right now," she said.
Raitt has intervened in recent labour disputes at Air Canada and Canada Post, using the justification that a work stoppage would harm the economy and inconvenience Canadians.
MPs are on break this week, and the government would have to call them back for an emergency session of Parliament if it wanted to introduce back-to-work legislation earlier than Monday.
Raitt has not indicated she would make such a move.
The opposition decried the government's move to have back-to-work legislation at the ready. NDP labour critic Alexandre Boulerice called it an "attack against the rights of workers to associate and to freely negotiate."
He also said it takes the pressure off CP during negotiations.
Ahead of the labour disruption Wednesday, both sides said commuter trains in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto that use CP rail lines would continue to shuttle passengers to work and back, regardless of the strike.
However, a Via Rail route between Sudbury and White River, and the section of the Toronto-to-Ottawa route between Brockville and Ottawa are affected. Via said it is moving passengers by an alternate form of transportation along those routes.
At odds over pensions, benefits
Canadian Pacific is seeking changes to its legacy pension plan and retirement benefits model, saying the changes are necessary for the railway to remain competitive.
CP said it has offered a pension plan that is a "multiple" of the average industrial pension in Canada and exceeds an agreement the teamsters reached "at another major Canadian railway."
The union is fighting to maintain its pension and protect fatigue management measures for workers.
In total, the Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada across all trades.
Original Article
Source: CTV
Author: CTVNews.ca Staff
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