Canada Railway Strike, Railway Services Suspended in Many Places

According to foreign media reports , thousands of employees of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) began to strike in the early morning of March 20, Eastern Time , resulting in CP   Rail trains were suspended across the country.

It is understood that the strike involves nearly 3,000 engineers, conductors and other train employees. The company and the union have been in dispute over contract issues for a long time . The two sides have disagreements on 26 issues such as wages, benefits and pensions . After negotiations failed to reach an effective agreement, the company's employees began to strike .

A press release from the CP Rail union said its members would strike across the country and set up picket lines in various locations (a picket line is where strikers gather at workplaces to persuade non-strikers to join the strike) .

The federal labour minister's office said in a statement that while the strike has begun, both sides are still in talks with a mediator and hope that "both sides will continue to work until an agreement is reached. " The Canadian government is "closely monitoring the situation" and hopes that both sides will consider compromises to reach an agreement that is fair to both workers and employers.

Canada is a vast country with a sparse population and freight transportation relies heavily on railways. Foreign media said that the strike threatens the supply chain that has been struggling under the impact of the epidemic .

Several Canadian industry groups said Canada is struggling to cope with inflation, product shortages, rising fuel costs and the negative impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict . Any transportation disruption will hinder Canada's freight capacity and hurt the economy .

The strike is the latest blow to Canada's supply chain. Last year's floods in British Columbia disrupted access and rail transportation at the country's largest port . The impact has not yet been fully eliminated, and packages sent to Canada by sea may have to wait endlessly ...

Since CP Rail 's railway network extends southward to Kansas City, Missouri, the suspension of CP Rail will also have a significant impact on the United States . It is understood that 86% of the potash fertilizers used in the United States are imported from Canada, most of which are imported by rail. The suspension of Canadian railways will bring additional pressure to agricultural production in the United States.

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