Back to work order issued for Canada’s striking rail workers

TORONTO

Canada's industrial relations board has ordered striking rail workers back on the job and imposed binding arbitration to settle labor disputes at two major freight carriers that threatened to upend the North American economy.

Stoppages began on Aug. 22 at both Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), locking out nearly 10,000 workers with the Teamsters union.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government moved quickly to end the strikes, sending the disputes to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to be resolved by an arbitrator.

The board ordered strikes to end today.

The Teamsters union said it would comply with the ruling but that it would also file an appeal in federal court.

Canada is the world's second-largest country by area, and relies heavily on rail transport.

CN and CPKC tracks stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific and south into the United States, carrying an estimated $730 million worth of goods daily.

This was the first time Canada faced simultaneous work stoppages at the two rail companies, which in the past have negotiated labor deals in alternate years.

Business groups and farmers had warned of costly disruptions to the G7 economy, with fallout also for the United States with which Canada shares deeply integrated supply chains.

The disputes centered around workers' concerns over long hours and fatigue, leading to dangerous working conditions.

The companies and the union have blamed each other for the work stoppage that followed 9 months of fruitless negotiations.