Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway workers' union agrees to tentative deal (updated)

Carbon Energy

30/10/2023 24:34

(Adds comment from Labour Ministry spokesperson, Seaway Corp,
and  background in paragraphs 4-8)
       OTTAWA, Oct 29(Reuters) - A seaway workers' union in
eastern Canada agreed to a new tentative labor contract on
Sunday, ending a days-long strike that had impeded the movement
of grains and other commodities on a key North American trade
route linked to the Atlantic Ocean.
    The Unifor union, representing 361 workers along the St.
Lawrence Seaway, said the agreement covers Unifor members at
Locals 4211, 4212 and 4323 in Ontario and Locals 4319 and 4320
in Quebec, who work in the supervisory and engineering group and
the maintenance, operations, and clerical group.
    Work will resume at 7 a.m. ET on Monday, a spokesperson for
Canada's Labour Ministry told Reuters.
    The workers had walked off on Oct. 22 after contract talks
with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp (Seaway) broke down
over a wage dispute. The strike forced vessels out of the 13
Seaway-operated locks between the Port of Montreal and Lake Erie
and affected nearly 150 vessels outside that waterway.
    The Seaway Corp will begin to implement a recovery program
immediately and will start passing ships progressively as of
Monday, it said in a statement.
    The strike - the latest in a string of contract disputes as
workers demand higher compensation to make up for a rise in the
cost of living - led to industry groups cautioning about supply
chain disruptions potentially worsening inflation.
    The seaway strike followed a 13-day walkout in July at some
of Canada's busiest ports that disrupted trade and weighed on
the economy.
    About 36.3 million metric tons of cargo valued at C$16.7
billion ($12.04 billion) passed through the St. Lawrence
Seaway's infrastructure in 2022, according to the Canadian
Manufacturing Coalition.
    
    ($1 = 1.3873 Canadian dollars)


 (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Surbhi Misra in
Bengaluru; Editing by Rod Nickel, Kim Coghill and Michael Perry)
 ((ismail.shakil@tr.com;))