Negotiations were still continuing, Monday in the middle of the afternoon, between the management of Via Rail and the Unifor union, in order to avoid the outbreak of a strike. And the deadline for the start of the strike, which had been set for 4 p.m., has just been pushed back to 6 p.m.
The Unifor union represents 2,400 workers there: station employees, trains, maintenance centers, on-board service personnel, customer service.
The union members were first to call the strike at 12:01 a.m. on the night of Sunday to Monday, but the possible start was postponed to 4 p.m. Monday, given the progress in the negotiations. Then, at 3:00 p.m., Unifor announced that it was postponing the possible strike until 6:00 p.m. as talks continued.
The employees had given themselves a strike mandate in proportions of 99.4% and 99.3%, according to the union body concerned, during assemblies which were held from June 20 to July 1 in the whole of Canada. In Quebec, Unifor is affiliated with the FTQ.
The train carrier’s management says it is determined to “negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement”, while the Unifor union maintains that the employer is asking the workers for concessions and the withdrawal of an agreement that would have the effect of calling into question the work security.
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