St. Lawrence Seaway shut down as workers go on strike
CTV
The St. Lawrence Seaway has shut down as hundreds of workers walked off the job Sunday.
The St. Lawrence Seaway has shut down as hundreds of workers walked off the job Sunday.
The halt is expected to affect cargo shipments immediately along the artery that runs between Montreal and Lake Erie.
In a release shortly after midnight on Sunday, the union said they were unable to reach an agreement with the employer by the strike deadline, despite negotiations "right up to the last moment."
"We cannot allow workers' rights to be compromised. We remain open to discussion and hope that the employer will reconsider its position for the good of all," said Daniel Cloutier, Unifor's Quebec director, in a release.
The union said this week that it remained "1,000 nautical miles apart" from management on wages — the key wedge in discussions — and that it was up to the employer to avoid any transit disruption.
"These are jobs that require intense training, a high level of understanding of the health and safety risks, and that carry enormous responsibility for the wellbeing of seafarers and their cargo. They are irreplaceable," Cloutier said in an earlier release.
In its own statement released after midnight, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation said the parties are at an impasse as Unifor "continues to insist on wage increases inspired by automotive-type negotiations," and the Seaway will remain shut down until an agreement can be reached.
