The St. Lawrence Seaway could be paralyzed by a strike, which would result in commercial ships no longer being able to sail on the St. Lawrence River from 12:01 a.m. on Sunday.
Since no agreement could be reached with the Corporation de gestion de la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent (CGVMSL), around 360 employees represented by Unifor intend to strike on Saturday, said the union, which submitted a notice of strike on Wednesday.
“Workers at all Seaway units have had enough,” Unifor National President Lara Payne said in a news release.
The unionized Seaway workers are demanding “a serious pay offer” and accuse the company of failing to address their pay concerns.
“The strike is always the last resort in negotiations, but these workers have made themselves clear and are united in their goals – they are ready,” added Daniel Cloutier, director of Unifor Quebec.
Heavy impacts
The two camps plan to continue negotiations on Thursday with the help of a federal mediator and, if an agreement is not reached, are preparing to close the sea route that allows shipping from the Atlantic to the end of Lake Superior.
“Following the strike announcement by UNIFOR, the CGVMSL has started implementing its detailed plans to ensure an orderly and safe shutdown of the network within the 72-hour notice period. “If unionized workers actually go on strike, the St. Lawrence Seaway will be closed to all traffic,” the company responded Wednesday evening.
This strike comes at the height of the harvest season, but the company was alarmed.
“[Une grève] would impact grain movements at a time when the world has an urgent need for this vital raw material, while supplies have been impacted by the situation in Ukraine and the increasing frequency of global extreme weather events. , complained the organization and ensured that it continues to negotiate “in good faith” with its workers.
In 2022, just over 4,000 cargo ships will use the sea route, transporting more than 36 million tons of goods, including 10 million tons of all types of grain and 15.6 million tons of mining products.