(Montreal) Saying it remains hopeful of reaching an agreement, the VIA Rail employees’ union announced, late Sunday evening, that the start of the strike would be postponed.
Posted at 12:17 a.m.
Less than half an hour before the scheduled start of the strike at VIA Rail at 12:01 a.m. Monday, the union announced in a press release that the final pressure tactic was postponed to 4 p.m.
The union, affiliated with Unifor, had given a strike notice last Thursday in order to warn users of the disruptions to come in the transport service.
On Sunday, the union confirmed that train services would continue on Monday.
Unifor represents some 2,400 employees of national traveler VIA Rail.
Members of Council 4000 and Unifor Local 100 had voted in favor of a firm strike mandate by more than 99%. These are employees working in stations, on board trains, in maintenance centres, in the VIA Customer Center and in administrative offices.
Last Thursday, it was assured that the negotiations would continue until the very last minute before the deadline for the start of the strike and it seems that the two camps have agreed to continue on a favorable momentum.
The union criticized VIA Rail last week for maintaining its demands for concessions, including the withdrawal of the complementary agreement. This would result in a loss of job security, according to Unifor.
VIA Rail, for its part, indicated that it was making every effort to reach an agreement with Unifor.
In the event of a strike at the end of the day on Monday, VIA Rail indicated last week that passengers deprived of service can modify their reservation free of charge or opt for a full refund of unused tickets.