Sask. mining industry concerned as union serves CN Rail with 72-hour strike notice and CPKC stoppage continues

Saskatchewan's mining industry is concerned about the Teamsters union's 72-hour strike notice, which was served to Canadian National Railway (CN) Friday morning, hours after it had said workers would return to the job.

The strike notice comes after months of increasingly fraught contract talks between Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union and CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC).

Both companieslocked out their 9,300 engineers, conductors and yard workers just after midnight Thursdayafter failing to reach deals with the union by a Thursdaydeadline.CPKC's3,500workers, including workers in Regina, went on strike at the same time.

The unprecedented work stoppage prompted federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to refer the dispute to theCanada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose biding arbitration under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Board.

The CIRB now hasto decide how best to settle negotiations and whether that requires binding arbitration.

Charles Smith, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan, studies the politics of labour movements. In an interview on Friday, Smith said the union is trying to pushback against employer concessions, but the situation has left people with questions.

"There's too much uncertainty right now and the rules are not clear in terms of what the CIRB can actually do and I think that non-clarity is adding a lot of uncertainty to the dispute but also to the workers involved."

The union is asking for better wages and working conditions. The federal government intervention, Smith said, doesn't necessarily help the cause.

"The unions have the legal ability to strike. That wasn't covered in the government's orders, so I think they're trying to make sure their issues are put on the table," he said.

The week-long back-and-forth between the federal government, the three sides, and the CIRB has also left Saskatchewan shippers in a limbo.

The Saskatchewan Mining Association saidin a media release on Thursday it "applauds" the federal government for taking "action that supports the broader national interests" and that the associationwas looking forward to the expeditious resumption of Canada's rail service.

After the Teamsters' strike notice, that sentiment has dampened.

"We're very disappointed,"said Pam Schwann, Saskatchewan Mining Association president. "We think there's a bigger picture at play here and we're disappointed that this has not been resolved."

The mining industry could lose out on contracts to other foreign shippers if the work stoppage continues for longer, she said, adding the disruption could also have an impact on mine site workers.

"The end result is our products aren't getting to our global customers and that has repercussions for our mine sites in Saskatchewan," she said.

According to the province, Saskatchewan exports nearly 70 per cent of everything that's produced in the province. Schwann said stoppages like these have disproportionate effects on Saskatchewan's economy.

WATCH |Teamsters serve CN Rail with 72-hour strike notice, confirm CPKC workers 'on strike'

Teamsters serve CN Rail with 72-hour strike notice, confirm CPKC workers 'on strike'

29 days ago

Duration 17:56

The Teamsters union has served Canadian National Railway with a 72-hour strike notice, hours after saying it was taking down picket lines and its workers were returning to the job.

Teamsters, in its Friday strike notice to CN, said the parties held a case management conference with the CIRB and hearings are underway to address preliminary issues.

"The timeline for a decision from the CIRB regarding the minister's referrals is still unclear at this time. The union is prepared to appeal to the federal court if necessary," the notice said.

CN issued a statement Friday afternoon saying that while it remainsfocused on getting its network back up and running, "the Teamsters are focused on returning to the picket line and shutting down the economy, impacting people and jobs across the country."