The long strike by workers at the Canadian National Railway Co (CNR. To) hit the economy further on Monday, disrupted grain transport, and fertilizer producers and a car terminal plan to lay off workers.
On the seventh day of Canada's largest rail strike in a decade, the industry kept pressing the government to intervene. Teamsters Canada, a trade union group representing 3200 striking workers, said there had been little progress in negotiations since the strike.
A Canadian National Railway contractor in Nova Scotia will cut 70 jobs, effective Thursday, the union said.
Meanwhile, farmers suffering from propane shortages dumped corn in front of prime minister Trudeau's local office in Quebec, demanding government intervention.
The striking conductor and yard workers called for better working conditions, including staff breaks. The federal government has been avoiding industry demands to force employees back to work, insisting that collective bargaining is a faster solution.
"Options are still on the table, but for now, we hope the two sides can reach an agreement, which will be the fastest way," Marie Claude bibeau, Canada's agriculture minister, told reporters in Saskatchewan.
Canada relies on Canadian national railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (cp.to) to transport crops, potash, coal and other manufactured goods to ports and the United States. According to industry data, about half of Canada's exports are transported by rail, and analysts had predicted that a long strike could drag down Canada's economic growth.
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