Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government’s decision to request a binding arbitration to bring an end to the nationwide rail strike, saying Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s decision to lock out workers was “deeply unhelpful” and forced the government’s hand.
“As a result, we reluctantly took the decision to request binding arbitration to resolve this dispute. To be clear, this is not the outcome we wanted to see,” Trudeau told the International Union of Operating Engineers on Aug. 28.
“If it wasn’t obvious to every Canadian already, Canadian rail workers do a vital job, and they deserve to work in safety and dignity.”
Government had said earlier that it wanted the issue to be resolved at the negotiation table, while business groups had asked for the government to intervene before a shut down to ensure no disruption to the economy.
Canadian railways transport around $380 billion worth of goods annually, and 32,000 Canadian commuters rely on the rail system each day. Trudeau psaid that the railway shutdown had also raised “serious public safety concerns” as shipments of essential items like propane for hospitals and chlorine for drinking water were at risk.
“We will be looking at every possible immediate and long-term solution to address the worker safety issues raised by the Teamsters union, and ultimately to make our rail system work better,” he said.
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference had requested higher wages, increased safety, and better work-life balance for workers. CN and CPKC said several offers they had made in good faith were rejected by the union.
