Schedules Change Due To Potential Canadian Rail Strike

The threat of an upcoming rail strike in Canada has led ocean freight carriers to start omitting and blanking sailings on services into the Canadian West Coast.

The likelihood of strike action appeared to move a step closer last week when the latest rounds of talks between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union (TCRC), the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) union and the Canadian National Railway (CN) broke down before they were even halfway through the scheduled time.

Around 9,000 workers from the TCRC and CPKC unions voted in favour of strike action in a dispute that is largely focused on rest periods and safety. Details of the ballot were announced on 1st May, with the potential for a walkout from 22nd May after a compulsory 21-day cooling off period.

However, the strike cannot legally materialise until the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ratifies it. Their decision is still pending, but the recent breakdown in talks has made the strike action more likely, with or without their decision.

Some carriers are already planning for industrial action, by recently changing schedules so that vessels omit, blank or swap calls at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert this month. This has not yet impacted ports on the East Coast, which will also be affected if the strike proceeds.

Shipments to and from some areas of the USA will also be negatively impacted, as Canadian railways play an important role in the movement of goods cross border, including the US Midwest, Northwest and Northeast regions.

Fingers crossed the dispute can be resolved and strike action can be avoided.

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