Lock workers are back at work along the canals that offer transit through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean after a Sunday evening tentative resolution to the job action, which threatened to back up St. Lawrence Seaway grain shipments.
The resolution announced by Unifor, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. (SLSMC) and federal labour minister Seamus O’Regan Sunday evening will see workers return to the job Oct. 30, though details of the agreement aren’t being released publicly pending ratification of the deal.
Federal mediators were called in to assist in resolving the week-long strike after 360 lock workers in Ontario and Quebec walked off the job Oct. 22.
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In a statement released by Unifor, the union said the job action was the first strike by the lock workers in 55 years, and the agreement was successful in addressing issues to reflect a more respectful workplace and reflect the current economic realities.
SLSMC said in its statement that it will begin to implement its recovery program immediately to move ships through the canals after coming to terms it says are fair for workers and secures a stable future for operations.
The impact of the strike was felt most acutely by grain farmers in southwestern Ontario facing looming storage challenges as soybean crops were stalled from moving due to the transportation impasse.
A ratification vote hasn’t been set but is expected in the coming days.
Contact alex.mccuaig@producer.com
