A Canadian rail strike is currently planned from 22nd August after last week’s ruling that the industrial action is effectively legal under Canadian labour law.

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union (TCRC) and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City union (CPKC), which represent more than 9,000 Canadian railway workers, initially voted in favor of strike action in May.

However, after the Canadian government deferred the matter to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) on 10th May, it took until 9th August before the board came to their decision. The ruling insisted on a 13 day cooling off period, which is why the unions have planned a 22nd August strike.

There is still the opportunity for the parties to come to an agreement ahead of the potential walk out. The railways and unions are both publicly showing their willingness to continue talks after the Canadian Labour Minister stated they “must get serious and engage meaningfully at the negotiating table’.

Should the unions proceed with strike action, then we are likely to witness significant disruption to ocean freight and transport services.  Canadian container freight movements rely heavily on rail freight movements within the country, therefore services to and from inland points would be affected and congestion would undoubtedly build at Canadian ports.

Canadian rail freight is also important for cross border services in and out of the USA Northeast and Northwest, along with a significant amount of volume in and out of the US Midwest.

The Westbound team are following developments closely and are very much hoping that strike action can be averted. Should you have any concerns about upcoming shipments, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you have any questions regarding the above, then Westbound are here to help. So, please do not hesitate to contact us.