CN, CPKC lock out workers after failed labour talks (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Montreal, 22 Aug - The Canadian railway companies Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) announced the lockout of their Canadian workers after failed labour talks, resulting in a shutdown of their networks in the country.

The companies locked out employees who are members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) - Train and Engine (T&E) division effective 00:01 Eastern Time on August 22. The union represents nearly 10,000 workers.

"Throughout nearly a year of negotiations, CPKC has remained committed to doing its part to avoid this work stoppage. CPKC has bargained in good faith, but despite our best efforts, it is clear that a negotiated outcome with the TCRC is not within reach. The TCRC leadership continues to make unrealistic demands that would fundamentally impair the railway's ability to serve our customers with a reliable and cost-competitive transportation service," CPKC said.

In a separate statement, CN said the lockout comes "after the union did not respond to another offer by CN in a final attempt to avoid a labour disruption." "This offer improved wages and would have seen employees work less days in a month by aligning hours of service in the collective agreement with federally mandated rest provisions.

The offer also proposed a pilot project for hourly rates and scheduled shifts on a portion of the network as CN continues to believe this is a better and more predictable framework for our employees.

"Without an agreement or binding arbitration, CN had no choice but to finalize a safe and orderly shutdown and proceed with a lockout," it added.

CN urged "the Teamsters to engage in these negotiations with the urgency and importance that this situation requires." TCRC said that it will continue negotiating with the two companies despite the lockout.

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(RADIOCOR) 22-08-24 19:27:58 (0550) 5 NNNN