A bad surprise awaits travelers who are thinking of taking the train to avoid airport chaos: service at VIA Rail could be suspended as of next Monday since 2,400 of its union members represented by Unifor are raising the specter of a strike that would paralyze rail service.
Updated yesterday at 10:46 p.m.
“There is no train that will be able to operate, say union representatives Alexandre Lamarre and Stéphane Isabel, during a telephone interview. It’s going to be a shock zone, especially with Air Canada canceling flights every day. »
As the summer season begins, all VIA Rail services would be suspended in the event of a walkout. Unifor Local 100 represents 700 employees who perform maintenance — mechanics, electricians, refrigeration mechanics — including 400 at the maintenance center in Montreal. The Council 4000 has 1700 members distributed in the stations, on board the trains as well as in the administrative offices, in particular.
According to Messrs. Lamarre and Isabel, the workers’ collective agreement expired on December 31st. Despite twenty or so negotiation and conciliation sessions, the employer has not tabled any salary offer, the union alleges.
Unifor says the Crown corporation is asking for several concessions, including withdrawing from an agreement that would result in the loss of job security for affected workers.
“It offers a laid-off employee about 80% of his salary, say union representatives. Before the pandemic, it cost the employer nothing. But that changed with the crisis because there were layoffs. Our members want it because this clause has saved families. »
Members of both units came out almost unanimously in favor of strike mandates. Voting ended on 1er last July. A few days before the deadline to avoid a strike, the talks are stalling, according to the union party.
Inflationary catch-up
Unifor has not quantified its wage demands, but is asking for increases that “take inflation into account”. In May, inflation was 7.7% according to Statistics Canada — the highest annual increase since January 1983.
In the evening, Thursday, the president and chief executive officer of VIA Rail, Martin Landry, affirmed that the Crown corporation was determined to “negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement. In his statement sent by press release, he acknowledged that there was no contingency plan.
“If no agreement is reached, VIA Rail will be forced to suspend all services for the duration of the strike and until normal operations can safely resume,” said Mr. Landry. This potential labor disruption comes at a time when we have resumed nearly all of our services. »
The customers concerned will be able to modify their reservation or opt for a full refund of unused tickets. However, for travelers, this scenario would complicate travel as flight cancellations and delays increase at major airports across the country — and around the world.
Problems within the airline industry and at airports have prompted Air Canada to follow in the footsteps of other airlines. The largest airline in the country has been forced to cut more than 15% of its summer flights, or about 150 flights a day.
According to the firm DataWazo, Thursday afternoon, nearly 40% of domestic flights had not taken off at the scheduled time.
Nationally, Toronto Pearson airport was the most affected by delays (departures and arrivals) with 31% and 32% of flights delayed. On the Montreal-Trudeau side, a quarter of the flights had been delayed on departure. The proportion was similar on the arrivals side.
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- 400
- Across the country, VIA Rail, headquartered in Montreal, says it serves more than 400 communities.
Source: VIA Rail