Written by
Nick Blenkey
Picture: Unifor
After negotiators failed to succeed in an settlement, St. Lawrence Seaway employees went on strike simply earlier than midnight Saturday. As we reported earlier, their union, Unifor, had filed a 72-hour strike discover on October 18, setting a strike deadline of Saturday, October 21 at 11:59 p.m.
The St. Lawrence Seaway Administration Company (SLSMC), which is answerable for the Canadian portion of the Seaway, says that an orderly shutdown of the system befell throughout the 72-hour discover interval permitting for vessels to securely clear the Seaway system. Whereas there are at the moment no vessels ready to exit the system, there are over 100 vessels exterior the system which are impacted by the state of affairs.
The SLSMC says it’s awaiting a response to an software to the Canada Industrial Relations Board looking for a ruling beneath the Canada Labour Code requiring the union to supply staff throughout a strike to make sure vessels engaged within the motion of grain proceed transiting the system.
SLMC stated that in negotiations Unifor had “minimally moved from their preliminary and constant place on their wage calls for,” and that negotiations had been at an deadlock as “Unifor continues to insist on wage will increase impressed by automotive-type negotiations, whereas the SLSMC works to discover a truthful and aggressive labor settlement that balances wage calls for and market realities.”
Unifor Nationwide President Lana Payne expressed her disappointment at what she described because the failure of the employer to make critical motion up to now two days, saying: “This deadlock is extraordinarily unlucky however our members stay dedicated to getting a good settlement.”
“We negotiated in good religion proper as much as the final second, however we can’t permit employees’ rights to be compromised,” stated Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier, “We negotiated in good religion proper as much as the final second, however we can’t permit employees’ rights to be compromised. We stay open to dialogue and hope that the employer will rethink its place for the nice of all.”
Any extended Seaway closure may have financial impacts stretching past grain exports, necessary as these are.
“The Seaway has an extended and revered fame for reliability in its operations, and is a key conduit for commodities that help our high quality of life, so it’s the marine trade’s pure expectation that the Seaway will resolve this matter with minimal disruption, and with the help of the Authorities of Canada, if wanted,” stated Bruce Burrows, president and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce. “A protracted disruption would definitely convey into sharp focus simply how a lot life in North America depends on the Seaway because the heartbeat of the economic system. When you think about the billions in financial exercise at stake, the tens of hundreds employed by way of Seaway exercise, and the shippers, companies, and customers reliant on the system to maneuver their items, not having the Seaway open is simply untenable.”
