More than 70 railworkers protested in downtown Halifax this afternoon to call out the Liberal government for preventing a strike.
Negotiations stalled between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union, who wants a new contract, and two employers, CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, last week.
The two companies locked out about 9,300 workers before the Teamsters union gave 72 hours notice on Friday that employees would go on strike.
But the Canada Industrial Relations Board stepped in and gave binding arbitration, which prevented workers from taking strike action, according to Christopher Monette, director of public affairs for Teamsters Canada.
The union set up their protest outside the Westin hotel in Halifax, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Liberal party members were meeting on Tuesday.
A protester holds a sign that outside the Westin hotel on August 27, 2024. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)
Paul Boucher, the union president, spoke at the rally. He said it doesn’t matter what industry they are, whether it’s trucking, rails or air.
“They work very hard for this country, and they are being disrespected by their employers and the company greed. Corporate executives are getting rich off the backs of hardworking Canadians, and we’re not going to stand for it,” Boucher told reporters.
He criticized the Liberal party for claiming to be friendly of working class people but allowing the Minister of Labour to impose binding arbitration to prevent a strike.
The union hopes to appeal the binding arbitration for the strike to go ahead, according to Don Ashley, the national legislative director of the union.
Ashley said they did not want labour disputes with both companies at the same time, but the Liberal party has lumped both together. He knows that’s unfortunate for a lot of Canadians, he said.
The negotiating process felt more like staring into a blank room of empty voices, he said.
“We’re mad, and we’re going to continue to fight for our workers, and we’re going to challenge this to prove it’s constitutionally wrong,” said Ashley.
Sam Noël, a conductor in training, said he was there because he wants workers to have a better quality of life.
“We’re just trying to prove a point, that we don’t like what’s happening to us, and we’re fighting for our rights,” he said.
