Two railways are planning to lockout employees later in August following a ruling from the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that rail service isn’t essential.
The board investigated which activities may need to continue if a strike or lockout occurs. And during that process, parties are banned from striking or locking out.
In its Aug. 9 ruling, the board said it had to “determine whether an interruption of rail transportation due to a strike or lockout would result in a threat to the safety or health of the public that would be immediate and serious.”
The CIRB concluded a work stoppage at the railways “will not result in such an immediate and serious danger.”