(The Canadian Press circulated the following story on May 22.)
VANCOUVER — B.C. Rail is being accused of bargaining in bad faith with its unions because it didn’t tell them of the plan to privatize the railway.
The Council of Trade Unions at the Crown-owned company has filed charges of bad faith bargaining with the Labour Relations Board.
Council chair Bob Sharp says the failure of the railway to lay out the privatization plan has compromised the unions’ ability to negotiate a new contract.
He says if the unions had known of the plan, their strategy would have been different.
Sharp says B.C. Rail is demanding a three-year contract, when the railway may not even exist next year.
The government is seeking bidders to operate B.C. Rail, but says it will retain ownership of the rail bed.