(Reuters circulated the following story on April 19.)
OTTAWA — Canada’s government aims to appoint an arbitrator by Monday to impose a contract settlement in the labor dispute between Canadian National Railway and its train crews, Labor Minister Jean-Pierre
Blackburn said on Thursday.
After passing a law late Wednesday forcing CN employees back to work, Blackburn said he was working with the company and the union to find an arbitrator they could both agree on. If no agreement is reached, he will make his own choice on Monday from a list of candidates.
“Ideally, we prefer someone that the two parties agree on,” Blackburn told Reuters. “If it’s not possible by Monday, I will name one.”
The arbitrator will have three months to find as much common ground between the two parties as possible. At the end of that period, he will ask both parties to make their final proposals and will choose one or the other.
Blackburn said he had been notified that CN had ended its lockout of workers and that picketers were back on the job.
“I think everything is back in order. They’ve seen that the government’s will is firm on this matter,” he said.
Although Ottawa’s back-to-work legislation gave the sides 24 hours to end the job action, CN lifted its lockout of picketing workers late on Wednesday. The workers said they were ready to return.
The 2,800 Canadian members of the United Transportation Union, which represents conductors, brakemen and switching crews at CN, rejected a CN contract offer last week that included a 3 percent wage increase.