Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan used his authority to bring in the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
This board works with federally regulated sectors to ensure “harmonious industrial relations.”
Failure to reach a tentative agreement would’ve seen the board impose a new deal on the parties or impose final binding arbitration to bring the strike to an end.
Since the initial strike started on Canada Day, multiple ag industry groups have raised concerns about how the disruption is affecting the sector.
Nineteen organizations, for example, penned a letter to the prime minister on July 11 explaining that “loss of export sales will have a significant and negative impact effect on our farm families and those employed throughout our supply chain.”
And once the strike does end, it’s unlikely ag products will receive special attention.
Other goods will be handled first, leaving agriculture with further delays, said Ian Chitwood, vice-chair of Alberta Canola.
“The bulk commodities and intermodal transport gets first priority,” he told Farms.com following the union’s first rejection. “They’re going to try to fix those backlogs first for the manufacturers and retailers. If a ship has to wait it’s going to be a grain ship.”