2023-10-27 09:15:53
The Seaway strike might reach an outcome following mediation scheduled for Friday in Toronto, following the premiers of Quebec and Ontario rushed the parties to reach an agreement to end the costly conflict between the union and the employer.
The return to the negotiating table might therefore put an end to the conflict which has paralyzed the transport of goods for five days, mainly due to employer offers on wages rejected by the pan-Canadian union Unifor, whose Quebec section is affiliated with the FTQ.
With a common voice, Quebec Prime Minister François Legault and his Ontario counterpart, Doug Ford, urged the two parties on Thursday to find an agreement in the conflict which, in just a few days, would have already cost hundreds of millions of dollars to the economies of Ontario, Quebec, Canada and the United States, according to a press release from the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.
Listen to the interview with Daniel Cloutier, Quebec director of Unifor on Alexandre Dubé’s show via QUB radio :
“No one has any interest in this strike continuing,” declared in writing Terence Bowles, president and CEO of the Corporation, who is committed to reaching a fair agreement with the workers.
“Our workers are very well paid and, in fact, for over twenty years, wages have more than kept up with inflation,” argued Mr. Bowles, adding that, despite inflation, “we are still ahead of 9% on the consumer price index.
On Thursday, François Legault and Doug Ford asked Ottawa to “act immediately to protect our supply chains” and guarantee the movement of essential goods at the Canada-US border.
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