Workers are ready to strike

Canada is once again facing the threat of railroad protests. On January 14, the overwhelming majority of workers at Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKS) voted to strike over disagreements over a new collective bargaining agreement between Unifor and their employer. The strike will begin on January 29 if negotiations fail completely. Unifor is Canada's largest private sector union. Its branch at the railroad company unites over 1,200 people who work in machine shops and service locomotives and freight cars.

Negotiations on the collective agreement began in October 2024, but the parties have not yet reached agreement on key issues. Notably, contrary to the union's wishes, the company chose to drag out the process at the last round of negotiations in November, scheduling the next meeting only for the end of January 2025, which angered the workers.

“KPCC workers play a vital role in Canada’s transportation network. We remain focused on reaching a negotiated solution that is in the best interests of our employees and their families. Our union will stand firm to ensure their service is respected and will push for a new contract,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Despite further meetings, discussions have now reached an impasse. It is clear to our union that this tactic by KPCC is singular. Instead of pursuing a collective agreement with the union, they want to create chaos so the government can bail them out. We will not tolerate this,” she added.

The workers are demanding that management provide them with job security, fair wages and better working conditions. In addition, trade union activists are outraged by the KPKS's outsourcing practices and numerous cases of forced overtime.

However, the likelihood that the company will make concessions is extremely high. A similar situation occurred at the end of last month, when Unifor entered into an agreement with Canadian National Rail (PRC), providing for wage increases and a solution to problems with pension payments. PRC representatives also tried to drag out the dialogue with the union, so the workers were able to achieve what they wanted only by resorting to extreme measures - the threat of a mass strike.

The desire of employers to compromise is understandable. Let us recall that the Canadian economy and logistics largely depend on railways, the country's second largest in the world. Their shutdown could completely paralyze trade and cause colossal losses to all sectors: from industry to agriculture. In this case, the monopolists represented by Canadian National Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the country's largest transportation companies, which control about 80% of railway transportation, would suffer the most. According to the Canadian Railway Association, they deliver goods worth $1 billion daily.

As Pravda has already reported, large-scale protests broke out in Canada in August 2024: workers of both railway giants went on strike simultaneously. The strike was organized by the Teamsters union, representing the interests of engineers, conductors, dispatchers and depot workers. Almost 10 thousand people protested against dangerous working conditions and overtime. All freight trains and some passenger trains were stopped for 4 days. Daily losses of $250 million caused panic in business circles. Businessmen even asked the government of Justin Trudeau to intervene in the conflict. As a result, officials from the Canadian Labour Relations Board forced the railway workers to end the strike and return to work, and the union and employers to resolve the dispute in arbitration.

Ivan PLOTNIKOV In Gazeta Pravda

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